TotT 4: Second Whelphood
by Celestial-Lorekeeper
Summary: A magical spell goes awry with surprising consequences for one of the Trollhunter team, but this might be a blessing in disguise. WARNING: Potentially lethal amounts of adorable ahead! Much adorbs! ((Rating K for brief, very vague references to a rough whelphood.) Includes all of Team Trollhunter, just ran out of characters.
1. Chapter 1: Regression

((I'm back! Trying a new technique with my stories: finishing a story in total, then posted updates weekly. This is only for multi-chapter stories. My ficlet collections, like Trollhunter Lore and Tales from Below Ground, will be posted as they are completed.

Enjoy!))

The sound of random, somewhat muffled detonations weren't entirely uncommon in Trollmarket. Between Rot and Gut's merchandise and certain training levels of the Hero's Forge the average Troll might brush such things off with little concern aside from hoping it hadn't happened too close to their home.

But when it came from the mostly-quiet library-home of one Blinkous Galadrigal, and was immediately followed by a plume of smoke, that tended to cause more alarm. Especially for a trio of humans and one certain Troll warrior who knew they had left the final two Troll components of their team at the library, and one healer/leader of Trollmarket who tended to see any antic of Blinky's and immediately get a headache.

Jim, Toby, Claire, and Draal got there first as they had been returning from training at the Hero's Forge, so when Vendel arrived Draal was already keeping the curious out. Toby was just emerging though by the way his eyes immediately found Vendel he had been about to seek the white-eyed Troll.

"Vendel!" He gestured to ensure he was seen, and Vendel sighed as he approached.

"Dare I ask what has happened this time?" inquired Vendel, but his wariness quickly vanished when he saw their shared distress. Draal glanced at the crowd then at Vendel, and he got the message. He cleared his throat and addressed the gathered Trolls.

"Alright, clear out everyone! This is no place to stand around gawking." Though there were murmurs, the crowd dispersed, and the three were free to enter the library.

In the front room Claire was fanning out the last of the smoke, by it's dispersal a lingering effect rather than fire-sourced. When she saw them she just nodded towards the main room, and when Vendel stepped in he saw Blinky and Jim crouching by the sofa, backs to him.

"Blinkous," Vendel began imperiously, "what happened here, and where is..." His voice trailed off as the scholar and the human turned and permitted Vendel to see the sofa, and his question ended on an incredulous note. "Aaarrrggghh?"

Laying on the sofa, slowly blinking dazed eyes, was Aaarrrggghh - only about two feet tall.


	2. Chapter 2: A Matter of Trust

((The Chapter in which I start making up how whelps are raised in Troll society because we're never told much. And also there's a reference to my Tales from Below Ground ficlet collection 'Touch.'))

Everyone was gathered around the couch, looking down at the tiny Aaarrrggghh who in turn was looking up at them with wide eyes, blinking owlishly. Blinky had just explained what had happened: he had been in the middle of some research on the various power stones that Jim used in the Amulet, trying to figure out how to ensure they wouldn't suffer complications with his human nature. Aaarrrggghh as usual was with him, most certainly not mini-sized at the time. Right in the middle of things a group of gnomes burst in and started running around everywhere, scattering papers and tools in their wake. Blinky and Aaarrrggghh had attempted to chase them away but one had jumped onto the table where Blinky had been doing his experiments and had knocked several crystals and vials over. There had been a high-pitched ringing, Aaarrrggghh had shoved Blinky out of the room, then the experiment detonated. Blinky had been dazed and scarcely able to move before Jim and the others had arrived, and when they found Aaarrrggghh in the smoke he'd been like this. The scholar had just finished the story when Aaarrrggghh had awoken.

That it was indeed Aaarrrggghh was undeniable. The whelp before them was a Krubera, still gray body color with two white triangular nubs for horns and tiny little secondary nubs for his smaller horns that weren't even slightly pointed yet. His neck and shoulders were draped with a mossy green mane though he lacked adult Aaarrrggghh's beard, and his matching green eyes were a tiny bit large in his face, giving an innocent look to him. And though he still seemed to prefer his knuckles-down posture were he to stand fully upright he'd be around two feet tall, give or take.

Truth be told more than one observer thought he was rather adorable.

"Wingman?" Toby asked softly, uncertain. Aaarrrggghh looked at Toby though he didn't show whether he had recognition to the nickname or if he turned his gaze simply because someone around him spoke.

"Hmm..." Vendel murmured. "I think the first thing to ascertain is whether he has merely shrunk or is a whelp in both body and mind. Aaarrrggghh." Aaarrrggghh snapped his wide eyes to the healer, body lowering slightly. "Well, clearly he recognizes his name. Can you speak, Aaarrrggghh?" No response. "Can you understand me?" Still silence. Vendel frowned, and Aaarrrggghh huddled down lower. "Though he appears to be around forty-five - that is mentally around three or four in human terms - perhaps he is in fact younger and lacks full comprehension." Vendel reached out towards Aaarrrggghh...and Aaarrrggghh jerked, bolting away with a choked sound to huddle in the corner of the sofa, pushing his back into it as firmly as he could and curling up in a tight ball with his belly flat to the seat, watching Vendel with huge eyes and visibly shaking all over. Vendel froze in place, his own eyes wide in response though he wasn't the only one surprised.

"What-?" began Jim as Draal took in a deep breath, catching a scent.

"He's afraid," rumbled the warrior, quietly and respectfully stepping back to try and provided as little discomfort as possible.

"I wouldn't call that simply afraid," Claire spoke up. "He looks absolutely terrified!"

"Let's everyone calm down," Blinky urged, voice level and steady. "The more upset we get, the more upset Aaarrrggghh is likely to become. Vendel, could we talk?" Vendel nodded, and the two moved into the front room, leaving the others with Aaarrrggghh.

"Aaarrrggghh, Wingman," Toby murmured, trying to calm the trembling Troll, "it's okay, you're okay." He started to reach out, but Jim caught Toby's wrist.

"I wouldn't. That's what Vendel did right before Aaarrrggghh panicked." Toby fidgeted, clearly wanting to comfort the whelp as did they all, but nodded agreement and settled for crouching beside the sofa, trying to get on Aaarrrggghh's level and hoping that would help. Aaarrrggghh continued to cower, eyes darting between them all as if he expected one of them to make a move for him at any time. He had his mouth buried in his arms, muffling noises of distress, and continued to try and press further into the cushion like it could hide him, protect him from them.

"I believe I have a plan," came Blinky's voice as he stepped back in, alone; the others heard Vendel departing. "First step is to calm Aaarrrggghh down." The scholar approached the sofa as the three humans stepped back, and Aaarrrggghh's eyes snapped to look at Blinky. Blinky's eyes were gentle and he kept his voice soft.

"It's alright, Aaarrrggghh. Vendel is gone. You're safe." He reached out with both set of hands - Aaarrrggghh muffled a frightened whimper that broke their hearts, shutting his eyes tight - and picked up the whelp, holding Aaarrrggghh to his chest. Aaarrrggghh immediately became like a rag doll in Blinky's arms, limbs slack and eyes open now and staring, distant like he was trying to be anywhere else, looking out past the scholar's arm. Blinky started to pace back and forth, walking with the whelp in the library.

"Why's Aaarrrggghh so frightened of us?" asked Claire. Blinky sighed, one upper hand gently stroking over the downy fur on Aaarrrggghh's shoulders.

"You know that Aaarrrggghh was taken by G -" Blinky paused his words as Aaarrrggghh visibly tensed at even a hint of Gunmar's name. " - You-know-who, and groomed to be a warrior, correct?" They nodded. "What you may not know is for a time after the end of the war, Aaarrrggghh was terrified of all physical contact."

"What? Aaarrrggghh?" Toby's voice was incredulous. "But he loves to be close to us."

"Now, yes. But back then he would retreat away from anyone, even myself, if he was touched. When I noticed the behavior and asked him about it, he explained. To this day what he said gives me chills." Blinky shuddered, arms tightening slightly on the whelp he carried protectively. "He told me that for him, touch was no good thing, that all it meant was pain, fear, and fighting." Their eyes widened. "Up until that black-hearted monster was sealed away the only time Aaarrrggghh was touched was with the intent to hurt him, to punish him, or by those who wished to kill him to advance themselves in the warlord's eyes. And what's more he knew touch didn't have to be such a horrible thing, saw the rest of us interacting and wanted it for himself, but couldn't help the instincts that had been literally beaten into him. It took Kanjigar and I over a year of combining physical contact with enjoyable activities for Aaarrrggghh to initiate contact even with me, and even more time to not jump and become defensive if someone touched him unexpectedly."

"That's horrible!" cried Claire, a hand over her mouth and looking at Aaarrrggghh like all she wanted to do was wrap him up in a big, sheltering hug. Blinky hummed in agreement.

"I believe that is why he recoiled away from Vendel, and why he is so lax in my arms."

"Vendel reached for him," surmised Jim, "and right before that he frowned. Aaarrrggghh probably thought he'd done something wrong and was about to be punished." Blinky nodded.

"And when I went to speak with Vendel then returned alone, clearly I was the one to mete out the punishment in Vendel's stead. But you have done nothing wrong, Aaarrrggghh. You will not be hurt or punished." Aaarrrggghh barely blinked and still made no sound.

"Man," Toby muttered, "I didn't think I could hate tall, dark, and ugly more than I already did, but I was just proven wrong."

"Yeah," agreed Jim. "Me neither." With no other way to help at the moment the Trollhunter simply sat down in a chair, asking "What do you mean about how lax he is?"

"Normally when a whelp is picked up, they will brace against the one holding them with their feet and legs and try to clutch onto them with their hands, much as I recall Enrique doing with you, Claire, after he was brought out from the Darklands." Claire nodded in remembrance, and Blinky smirked a bit. "I even remember a certain Troll when he was a whelp would forego my suspenders and latch onto my hair or an ear or a horn if he could." This last was said with a wry glance at Draal, who just grinned.

"If I was able to grab your horn, then it was your fault for holding me too high so it was in reach." The moment of humor brought a much-needed chuckle, but Blinky soon sighed again.

"Yet Aaarrrggghh does none of those things. His state is nothing less than a display of total submission. In short he is showing that I can do as I please with him, that he will not fight back, probably a plea for lesser punishment. And though I've never been able to prove my theory before now, regrettably I believe he was also conditioned to be silent, which is likely the cause for his stunted Trollish when he and I first met, and faint struggle with languages now."

"The Tyrant wouldn't have wanted a whelp wailing continually," surmised Draal with a distressed frown, imitating Blinky's omitting of Gunmar's name. "That would be at least distracting, and at worst either alert enemies to their position or galvanize them for a rescue, hearing a whelp crying out."

"Exactly. Thus why Aaarrrggghh was trying to remain silent even in distress, when whelps normally can be quite vocal to garner aid and comfort from those around. And everything tells me that in all ways our Aaarrrggghh is in fact a whelp in body and mind, likely during the early phases of his...training." Blinky cuddled Aaarrrggghh a bit closer, shifting his grip to give a more secured hold. "But this may actually work out in his favor!"

"How?" Jim had to ask in disbelieving tones. "How is it good that he's terrified and thinks we're only out to hurt him?"

"Because that wretched excuse for a Troll stole Aaarrrggghh's early years from him, made his life to use a human phrase a living nightmare."

"I get it!" Toby spoke up, getting excited and smiling broadly. "But we can show Aaarrrggghh a different kind of life! He's got a second chance!"

"Exactly, Tobias! A second whelphood, if you will, to be treated as the treasure whelps are and shown all the love and caring, the safety, he never knew." Blinky lowered his head to nuzzle Aaarrrggghh's head gently, and Aaarrrggghh visibly jumped, then looked up at Blinky with a wide-eyed expression of shock and wonder. "Oh my poor friend, to have been so neglected that even that, the most simple and basic of all Troll gestures of affection, would be unknown to you."

"I wanna help," Toby spoke up.

"Yeah, me too," agreed Claire, and Jim and Draal both were nodding in agreement.

"My friends," Blinky assured, "I wouldn't think of doing this without you. Aaarrrggghh will need all of us during this time."

"What do we need to do?" Jim fidgeted slightly in his seat. "I know I've had some time around Enrique, but to be honest I really don't know anything about taking care of a little kid, let alone a whelp."

"Well, for starters, if everyone could just remain here we can make some headway in getting Aaarrrggghh to trust us." Blinky nuzzled the whelp again, and this time when Aaarrrggghh looked up at him he didn't turn his head away again, but lay it against Blinky's shoulder instead. Blinky smiled and stroked his hand over the Krubera's back some more. "When Aaarrrggghh is calm and shows that he's more comfortable with me, that I have earned some trust, I'll try to hand him off to one of you." The humans were confused, but Draal was nodding to himself, and explained things.

"Typically, when a parent hands their whelp to another Troll it in a sense transfers some of that trust to the other person, showing the whelp that their parent is comfortable with the other and trusts them, so they can as well. I recall hearing stories that such was done with me when Blinky and Aaarrrggghh used to watch over me for my father when he had to be away and I was very young."

"Yes. First Aaarrrggghh and I just spent time with you and Kanjigar, so you would be familiar with us, and then Kanjigar put you into my arms first. And when you were comfortable with that, into Aaarrrggghh's. You scarcely made a noise at the exchange, other than a few inquisitive ones. Far more curious about us than afraid. My intentions are to do the same now for Aaarrrggghh. I am hoping whelp instinct will override training." Blinky smiled quite proudly as Aaarrrggghh, in shifting for a better position, curled his arms up against Blinkys' chest and braced with his feet on the scholar's hip in what indeed looked like a much more natural, normal manner. Blinky gave him a hug and stroked his fur again with a soft encouragement. "That's right, you can hold on if you want." Hesitantly Aaarrrggghh's hands curled against the scholar's chest, one gripping a suspender, and he got a nuzzle in reward.

For about the next hour Blinky alternated between walking with Aaarrrggghh and sitting in the sofa, while the others just chatted casually and smiled at Aaarrrggghh to reassure him. Toby in particular was trying to get the whelp's attention, attempting to catch his eye and giving small waves, and Blinky took note of Aaarrrggghh starting to glance back.

"Well, Tobias, are you up to see if Aaarrrggghh will be comfortable with you?" he asked, and Toby eagerly nodded from his place on the couch.

"You bet!" Blinky carefully set Aaarrrggghh into the teen's arms, and much to their mutual relief Aaarrrggghh's hands readily curled into the material of Toby's sweater vest. "Hey, Aaarrrggghh. My little Wingman," Toby crooned, stroking Aaarrrggghh's fur as Blinky had done before he grinned at the others. "Oh my gosh his fur is like the softest thing ever!" Aaarrrggghh tipped his head slightly at the excited tone, eyes widening but more in curiosity than fear, then leaned into further petting, eyes closing peacefully. "He likes me!"

"Maybe he kinda remembers us - somehow?" suggested Jim.

"Entirely possible," Draal agreed. "Scent recognition is common among Trolls, and Krubera even more so."

"And Aaarrrggghh probably most of all," Claire pointed out, smiling as she watched Toby nuzzle the whelp. "Remember how keen his sense of smell is. He can even track with it and tell what you ate last week, Toby!"

"If so," Blinky surmised, "it is likely a confused recognition. Knowing our scents while he doesn't know from where."

"You remember me, Wingman?" Aaarrrggghh didn't answer, but sniffed at Toby and pulled a bit at his vest seeming curious about the material. Then, with a wary glance at Toby, he licked it. There was a moment of surprised silence, then the adult Trolls and the humans burst out laughing, making Aaarrrggghh duck his head a bit until Toby reassured him.

"I wouldn't eat that," Jim laughed. "We ran in gym today."

"It may be that he's hungry," Blinky surmised. "After all, human clothing - especially things like worn socks and I would imagine your vest after a long day at school - are a part of our normal diet. I'm sure I can find some -"

CLANK-RATTLE!

Everyone jumped in surprise at the sudden noise.

"What was that?" Claire asked, looking around. As if in answer a gnome pushed a small bowl out from under a table next to Jim where apparently he'd been caught under it or behind it, something of the sort. Upon laying eyes on the little creature Blinky frowned, upper arms crossing and lower fists coming to rest on his hips.

"I believe that is the menace that wrecked my tests." The gnome glared at Blinky and hissed, baring his sharp fangs, and Aaarrrggghh bit back a whimper as he watched the gnome with wide eyes.

"Hey, get out of here," Toby ordered, standing up to put Aaarrrggghh a little higher up and thus away from the gnome. In response the gnome hissed again. It clearly was in no mood to be intimidated by the taller beings around, and in fact seemed quite ready for a fight. Jim and Draal both started to get up to chase the gnome out, but the pest jumped, dodging Jim's reaching hand, ducked around Draal as he stepped forward, and in three huge hops (seriously, gnomes could jump!) landed on the armrest of the couch nearby to Toby and Aaarrrggghh and snarled at them, chattering his teeth threateningly.

Instantly Aaarrrggghh panicked.

The whelp, forgoing his usual silence, shrieked in terror and began fighting to get out of Toby's arms and away from the terrifying thing. Overbalanced by the abrupt weight shift Toby stumbled and fell, landing hard on one elbow and giving a cry of pain but cushioning Aaarrrggghh's landing on himself. The moment he could get free Aaarrrggghh ran on all fours, squeaking loudly, to hide behind Blinky's legs.

"How dare you, you vermin!" snarled Blinky at the gnome, one lower arm going down to further shield the cowering whelp taking shelter behind him as he shook an upper fist at the insolent creature.

"That's just low, picking on a whelp!" put in Toby, cringing slightly as he pushed himself up with one hand and held the other to his chest protectively. "You are no Chompsky!" The gnome chattered again as he dodged a grab by Draal, clearly meaning aggression towards them despite the overwhelming size difference, and lunged forward, jumping off Toby's head and towards Blinky and Aaarrrggghh, making the whelp choke back another cry. Eyes widening, Blinky just dropped down, turning as he went and wrapped all four arms around the whelp so the gnome would hit into his own back first instead of Aaarrrggghh...

...only for the gnome to get slammed to the ground in the middle of the library as Jim got there first and slapped out with a mailed hand. As if they had coordinated the defense Draal rushed towards the gnome and the little aggressor finally saw that he was definitely in over his head. The gnome turned and fled the library, with Draal and Jim in pursuit to ensure that he was good and gone.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Claire was kneeling at Toby's side, trying to look at his hand. He was slowly curling his middle, ring, and pinky fingers, wincing a bit, but was more concerned about Aaarrrggghh. "Blinky, is Aaarrrggghh okay? Is he hurt? I think my fingers jammed into him when we fell." Blinky came up from his defensive posture and carefully eased Aaarrrggghh to an upright stance in his embrace, running a lower hand over the whelp's chest and belly.

"I believe he is unhurt," reported the scholar, relieved as he stood and holding Aaarrrggghh once more. "He is not reacting like he is in pain." Toby was just picking himself up with Claire's help when Draal and Jim returned.

"Lost him in the street," Jim reported, "but the way he was running I don't think he'll be back anytime soon." Draal snorted.

"Ever, if he knows what's good for him." Seeing the silent and trembling whelp in Blinky's arms and Toby slightly wincing both their expressions softened into concern.

"Tobes, you okay? Is Aaarrrggghh okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." Toby took a step towards the whelp now safely in Blinky's arms only to stop when Aaarrrggghh cowered. "Oh man! He's probably upset that I dropped him. He'll never trust me again!"

"Somehow I don't think that was the same kind of fear reaction," Blinky assured the teen, nuzzling Aaarrrggghh. "He doesn't have a strong fear scent. Though what -" Blinky cut himself off as he caught Aaarrrggghh's line of sight. "Oh my. I believe, Tobias, that Aaarrrggghh may think he caused your injury, and is worried about repercussions. He's looking at your hand." Toby's eyes widened and he quickly went to reassure Aaarrrggghh.

"Oh, no it's okay, Wingman. I'm fine, see?" He bent his arm a few times in display, then held his hand where Aaarrrggghh could see and carefully wiggled his fingers. "Just a little sore. I'll be fine in a day or two, promise. You've done nothing wrong."

"Any blame should go on that gnome," added Draal with another glare at the doorway.

"Yeah, he was just plain cruel!" Claire was offended on Aaarrrggghh's behalf, as were they all. Toby held out his arms towards Aaarrrggghh.

"So, trust me still?" This time Blinky didn't immediately put the whelp into the teen's arms, watching for a signal that Aaarrrggghh wanted it and would be comfortable.

Aaarrrggghh was looking between them all, eyes wide but as Blinky stated it didn't seem that it was in fear. He was properly holding onto the scholar, head now up instead of cowering, and as they waited for his response they saw his eyes get even bigger. Blinky, of all of them, recognized the light that suddenly appeared there. He saw it when Draal was young and mastered a combat move, or more recently when Jim was reading and a fact truly sunk in.

Comprehension.

Aaarrrggghh hesitated a moment, then reached out towards Toby. Toby's whole expression lit up and when Blinky passed him over the human gave Aaarrrggghh a hug, whispering reassurances and thanks for still trusting him. Aaarrrggghh's eyes widened again and he once more looked at them all, then all of the sudden utterly relaxed, the tension they'd seen in him from the start vanishing as he cuddled against Toby's chest and let his eyes close.

"Something just happened, but could could someone tell me what?" asked Draal. Jim shrugged as did Claire, but Blinky was smiling.

"I believe we have proved beyond any doubt Aaarrrggghh may have had that he can trust us. When the gnome frightened him, then moved to attack him, we defended him quite readily and visibly, comforted him afterwards when he was distressed, and then when he likely thought he'd be in trouble for 'injuring' Tobias if not for making noise we reassured him rather than punishing him, explained that we were not mad for something that was not his fault or at most an accident. In other words, possibly for the first time to his recollection, he knows he is utterly safe."

"Well he is safe," added Toby determinedly. "No one's gonna hurt my Wingman-Whelp - I won't let 'em!" On that they could all agree.


	3. Chapter 3 Blinky: First Night

((And time for the individual interactions! Blinky first - enjoy!))

The teens and Draal remained at the library far longer than they usually would, though it would be impossible to blame them. There was something about Aaarrrggghh in this state that just compelled them all, Blinky himself included, to linger.

Over the next couple of hours they each took turns holding their shared whelp, Aaarrrggghh letting himself go from one to the other quite peacefully and at times seeming curious about certain aspects of each of them; standing on Claire's lap to get a look at her hairclips and poking Jim's chest gently when he dismissed the armor before it was his turn, trying to figure out where it went. He didn't make any sounds, but as it seemed like habit rather than anxiety none of them were overly bothered at this point. Better to get him comfortable, then they could deal with any other issues.

Finally the human children had to depart or risk falling asleep on the way home, and they made many promises to return the next day to the whelp 'so he won't think we're abandoning him,' as Jim put it. Blinky briefly wondered if it was the Trollhunter's experience with his father that brought out that particular sentiment. Draal remained for another hour afterwards, both to ensure the gnome wouldn't return and to help solidify a concept of safety for Aaarrrggghh, but eventually he, too, departed for his home after extending an accepted offer to oversee the Trollhunter's physical training until Aaarrrggghh returned to his proper age.

It went unspoken by them all that they would keep Aaarrrggghh away from all forms of violence if at all possible during his second Whelphood.

Thus the two roommates were left alone, a normal situation modified by completely unusual circumstances.

"Well, Aaarrrggghh," Blinky said conversationally, thinking he might start speaking or at least vocalizing the more he was addressed, "I believe before that little menace interrupted us we were about to find you something to eat. Are you hungry?" Aaarrrggghh blinked but neither showed approval or denial. "Hmm, I'd be willing to bet they kept you half-starved too. Well, none of that here! Come along, let's see what should be palatable to a young whelp."

Which, as Blinky discovered perusing the pantry with Aaarrrggghh in his arms, was a bit limited. Plenty of minerals, which though healthy were likely too hard for Aaarrrggghh's teeth at this phase, a few drinks that Blinky wouldn't even _consider_ giving to a whelp, and a few articles of clothing. He chuckled, reaching in with an upper hand to pull out some socks and a scarf, things that would be soft on Aaarrrggghh's teeth if they were sensitive but still taste good, and a few minerals for himself.

"Looks like I should've listened to you yesterday and gone shopping early! Well, no matter - there is enough to make do tonight, and then tomorrow we shall rectify the issue!" He set Aaarrrggghh down in one of the armchairs in the living quarters on their home and piled the goodies up on the table, along with two cups of water, before selecting a sock and offering it. Aaarrrggghh looked at the sock, then at Blinky with wide eyes, then at the sock again. "Go ahead, Aaarrrggghh. If you're hungry take it." Slowly Aaarrrggghh reached out, watching Blinky intently as if making sure it wouldn't be snatched away, and took the sock. "There, now. See? You can eat as much as you want, within reason, of course! I don't think you could manage an entire overcoat yet!" Aaarrrggghh sniffed the sock, then promptly put one end into his mouth and started chewing and pulling on it, trying to tear it. Blinky chuckled, letting Aaarrrggghh see if he could manage the sock on his own and tearing some of the others into smaller pieces for him. A loud rip and a pleased, if muffled, noise from Aaarrrggghh spoke of success, and by the smile on his face Blinky had a feeling Gunmar _had_ basically kept him alive on what amounted to refuse scraps, keeping him hungry and possibly even using food as a training device.

Yeah, _that_ was going to be the next thing Blinky did the exact _opposite_ of.

Sure enough when he'd finished the sock Aaarrrggghh looked at the torn fragments wistfully, like he didn't expect to have any of it. So when Blinky nudged the small pile towards him, the whelp's eyes almost doubled in size.

"It's yours," the scholar urged gently. "As much as you like, Aaarrrggghh." Hesitantly Aaarrrggghh reached out and took a few lengths of cloth and withdrew them to himself, but only when Blinky smiled his approval did Aaarrrggghh seem to believe he had free access to the food and started eating with what to Blinky's eyes looked like a healthy whelp appetite. He himself ate his minerals, enjoying his meal even if he would usually mix the two categories and keeping an eye on Aaarrrggghh discreetly to ensure he didn't make himself sick and see if there was anything he seemed to not like.

Given adult Aaarrrggghh's eating preferences, it was amusing that whelp Aaarrrggghh seemed share a love of everything by the happy, even blissful expression on his face as he ate.

Blinky had just finished his meal when he realized that Aaarrrggghh had climbed onto the table and was looking at him. There were still quite a few pieces of fabric left, so Blinky knew Aaarrrggghh wasn't looking for more unless it was a certain type he was hunting.

"Is something wrong, Aaarrrggghh?" asked Blinky, reaching out to stroke a hand over the whelp's head reassuringly. "Are you full? You do not have to eat everything at once if you are; we can save it." He did worry about Aaarrrggghh stuffing himself out of fear of none later. Aaarrrggghh blinked, then picked up a handful of material and held it out to Blinky.

For a moment Blinky was baffled, then as Aaarrrggghh watched him expectantly he wondered if Aaarrrggghh thought there was something wrong with the food and that it might hurt him, and so wanted to see if Blinky would eat it too. But he quickly dismissed the notion. Aaarrrggghh was far too young by all appearances to have such complicated concepts, and given everything he'd done previously if he had been suspicious he probably wouldn't have eaten any to begin with.

Then Aaarrrggghh put the handful he had on Blinky's plate and settled back on the table with a smile, picking up more for himself and happily eating while looking at Blinky expectedly, and Blinky felt his heart melt.

"Oh you big-hearted whelp - you're _sharing_ with me!" Even after what he'd suffered at such a young age, being kind was second nature to him even to the point that he'd offer what he had.

Well, who was Blinky to refuse such generosity?

Even so he made sure Aaarrrggghh had the most, and Aaarrrggghh was so hungry that he finished off everything there was including a few softer minerals that Blinky crumbled up into sand for him to taste.

"My, I can see where the adult you gets his appetite!" Blinky chuckled as he watched Aaarrrggghh happily lick the last traces from a spoon. "I shall have to speak with Vendel concerning young Krubera and their diet and general care; for I don't believe I have anything in my - Aaarrrggghh?" Blinky stopped himself mid-sentence, seeing Aaarrrggghh looking at him fearfully. "What's wrong - Oh." Well, that was understandable. Blinky picked Aaarrrggghh up and cuddled him, relieved that he wasn't regressing into fear at the scholar's unintentional gaff and cuddled back. "Vendel frightens you, doesn't he? Well, I can understand that - he can be loud and gruff and temperamental, but inside he cares a lot about everyone in Trollmarket, including you. He won't hurt you, I promise. After all the things I've done to annoy him and he's never laid a hand on me, I can say that with certainty! But you don't have to ever see him if you don't want to." _And if it doesn't become necessary._ "I'll send one of the others to him to see what information he can provide, and he'll send back a book or some notes for me to read. So everything will be fine." Aaarrrggghh relaxed with the reassurance, making Blinky believe more and more that he _could_ understand them a great deal even if he couldn't, or wouldn't, reply.

"Hmm, it's a bit early for bed, so how about I read to you?" Adult Aaarrrggghh had always indicated enjoyment when Blinky read to him, and whelp Aaarrrggghh seemed curious about the books on the shelves when Blinky carried him over to make a selection. Remembering an oft-requested tome, Blinky pulled down a book he'd written on human start myths. Aaarrrggghh seemed fascinated by the star on the cover, reaching out to touch it so it seemed a good choice. Blinky hummed and sat down in his favorite chair, almost like how he would be at the end of most days, ready to read with (or more accurately to) his large friend. But this time said friend was in his lap rather than curled beside him, looking over the illustrations Blinky had put alongside the text while Blinky read the stories. Normally Blinky might have been nervous about such a young whelp having any of his books within reach, but as he'd suspected Aaarrrggghh's innate gentleness shone through. As Blinky pointed out what pictures lined up with what parts of the story the Krubera would carefully touch each one, tracing his fingertips over the lines, never grabbing at the pages or trying to pull the book from Blinky's hands.

_To think that Gunmar created one of the most feared generals of the war from such a sweet whelp! Truly that monster is even more horrendous than I'd ever understood! _

Eventually Aaarrrggghh began looking droopy-eyed and yawning and Blinky closed the book.

"Yes, I quite agree: time for bed!" Aaarrrggghh let himself be carried to the hallway that led to their respective bedrooms, and here Blinky paused, a bit lost for a course of action. Aaarrrggghh had his own room, but Blinky worried that if he tried to put the whelp in his own bed and leave it might upset Aaarrrggghh or worse break the trust between them, and there was little chance of Blinky moving the heavy stone slab of a bed to his own room nor was he going to make the whelp sleep on the floor! But Aaarrrggghh had often playfully teased Blinky for the softness of his bed, so would he be comfortable, as many parents did on occasion with their own whelps, sleeping beside Blinky?

In the end Aaarrrggghh made the decision for Blinky, as the scholar happened to glance down to see the whelp had a tight grip on a suspender and seemed unwilling to let go.

That, as they say, settled that.

Blinky went into his room and fussed about adding a few extra blankets and fluffing up a place for Aaarrrggghh nearby to the wall. He thought Aaarrrggghh might be more comfortable with a solid object on one side of him and Blinky laying closer to the door as another barrier. When he set the whelp on the bed Aaarrrggghh sniffed at the pile of softness that filled the shallow depression - probably picking up how Blinky's scent saturated it - pulled at some of it and explored a bit, then curled up next to the wall.

"Sleep well, Aaarrrggghh," Blinky whispered. "I'll be right here if you need me." Blinky doused the lights and lay down, soon drifting off to sleep to the sound of little whelp breathing.

But, alert for any changes in Aaarrrggghh's state, Blinky slept only lightly. Thus some time later when he found himself awoken by a noise all six eyes instantly looked for Aaarrrggghh. The whelp was curled up in a tight ball, muffling whimpers into his arms and shaking, eyes scrunched tightly even as tears ran down his face. Blinky pushed himself up onto his right elbows, reaching out to rest his upper left hand on Aaarrrggghh's back. The whelp jumped, backing to the wall and looking at Blinky in alarm, then immediately hunkered down into the furs, trying to hide his face.

"It's alright, Aaarrrggghh," Blinky soothed, stroking Aaarrrggghh's back. "You're safe." Aaarrrggghh peeked up, shuddering as he choked back a whimper. Blinky smiled and reached out, gathering up both whelp and blankets and cuddling Aaarrrggghh close to himself. Aaarrrggghh sniffed, still fighting for silence and trying to stop crying. "Hmm, did you have a bad dream?" Aaarrrggghh bit back a whimper, which Blinky took as a yes. "I can understand why. But Aaarrrggghh, you don't have to try to remain quiet." The whelp blinked, looking up at the scholar with wet eyes. Blinky nuzzled him. "If you want to cry, then you can cry. If you want to make noise, then make noise. I will not get angry with you. If someone made you feel afraid when you made noise I will keep you safe from them. The ones who hurt you will _never_ do so again." He held Aaarrrggghh close, and it seemed the physical affection during his moment of weakness broke the dam. The whelp softly whimpered, watching Blinky as if testing the scholar's words, then more and more he seemed unable to hold it in until he burrowed his face against Blinky's chest and began sobbing. Blinky just held him close, letting him sob and stroking his back to comfort him with soft reassurances that he was safe and would feel better by letting out his fear, even if in private his heart broke with each cry. But Blinky did believe his own words: this was probably over a decade at least of grief and fear and hurt finally being vented. Aaarrrggghh _needed_ this, probably badly.

Though Blinky couldn't say afterwards how long it was, Aaarrrggghh eventually quieted, all his tears spent and clinging almost desperately to the scholar. Blinky sat up, keeping a snug hold on the whelp, and grabbed a dry blanket to wrap around Aaarrrggghh as additional comfort. Then he got up and and pulled the ones he'd dampened from the bed to clean later. Finally he addressed his little roommate.

"Feeling any better?" Aaarrrggghh blinked up at Blinky, then much to his surprised delight gave a very clear if a bit hesitant nod. "Yes, you are?" Another nod, confirming that the whelp had made the gesture intentionally. Blinky hugged him and gave him a nuzzle. "I'm very happy that you trust me enough to communicate, Aaarrrggghh. I like knowing what you're thinking, or what you want. Would you like a drink? I can imagine it might feel good on your throat after such a cry." Another nod, followed by a soft noise that Blinky couldn't define but that had to be the most adorable thing he'd ever heard. "Very well, and after perhaps some more reading. Best to settle down after a nightmare before trying to get more sleep."

Two drinks and a long story about the stars later, both Blinky and Aaarrrggghh were fast asleep in the armchair, smiling.


	4. Chapter 4 Claire: Lullaby

((Many apologies for being late a day. I was sick last night and could hardly get out of bed; I think I slept near 10 hours or so. But here's more adorable Aaarrrggghh-ness! And isn't he just a clever little whelp?))

It had been a week since the magical mishap that had turned Aaarrrggghh into a whelp version of himself, and the difference from then to the present was astounding!

After that first night, Aaarrrggghh had begun timidly vocalizing around the others in his circle of caretakers, earning him praise and a chorus of aaawwws from Toby, Claire and Jim, and even Draal grinned at him though he refrained from outward fussing. Given this reassurance by the end of the fourth day he was squeaking, purring, and a host of other noises that Blinky said were all normal whelp sounds. Even so, he was a quiet whelp, though whether that was his 'upbringing' or just his normal nature they couldn't say; He certainly never shrieked (unless afraid) or threw tantrums or anything any of them had witnessed from others his current age. He still didn't use any words, but that the scholar conjectured was because his speech development was so delayed, thank-you-warlord-who-was-never-named-in-Aaarrrggghh's-presence. But his understanding of what they said was beyond question, even understanding English which could only be attributed to the magical nature of his change. He would nod or shake his head to answer questions and point to objects and people readily. Given this and since information gleaned from a book Vendel had sent over Blinky had finally estimated Aaarrrggghh's 'age' as somewhere between the previously-guessed forty-five and seventy-five (or three and five in human terms, give or take).

Jim and Toby had taken full advantage of this information too, coming back the very next day with two boxes full of some of their old toys, things they thought Aaarrrggghh might enjoy playing with: Balls and toy cars to roll around, foam blocks he could build with and wouldn't hurt him or anyone else if they fell, a few plush toys and a half dozen colorful puzzles. Though they both assured that it wouldn't hurt their feelings if he tried to eat them or broke them - within a minute of laying hold of a ball Aaarrrggghh showed his strength by flinging it clear across the library - and even though it was certain the toys smelled of human much as the clothes he ate did, Aaarrrggghh only gave them a curious sniff then smiled at the two boys in clear gratitude and never once tried to even nibble on one, getting right to playing once he was given a demonstration on how some of the toys worked. Truly he was a smart whelp!

The final note of Aaarrrggghh's cleverness however came when Claire entered the library while Jim and Toby were training with Draal. Blinky was at the table reading through the book on Krubera while Aaarrrggghh played with the toys on a rug on the floor. The whelp looked up when he heard Claire, his expression lit up, and he scrambled to his hands and feet and ran to meet her loudly squeaking the whole way. She smiled and crouched down to catch him in a hug, picking him up in the process.

"Hi, Aaarrrggghh," she cooed with a nuzzle. "Hi, Blinky," she greeted much more normally

"Hello, Claire." Blinky stood with a smile and approached. "I thought you'd be training with Master Jim and Tobias today."

"After I missed yesterday I wanted to hang out with you and Aaarrrggghh some."

"I would imagine Aaarrrggghh a bit more than myself, hmm?" Blinky chuckled, stroking the whelp's hair. Claire giggled.

"Well, maybe," she admitted.

"I can't honestly blame you. Aaarrrggghh is quite a charming whelp. And as a side benefit your arrival had actually helped me quite a bit."

"Oh?" Blinky headed back to the table as he answered, sliding a piece of paper out from under several others and writing on it.

"I noticed yesterday that Aaarrrggghh was using specific noises at certain times while he was playing. At first I thought he was merely making sounds, such as how Tobias did when first demonstrating the cars for him. But I realized he would look at certain people when he made those noises, and I finally understood what he was doing."

"What?"

"My dear, our Aaarrrggghh has named us!" Claire blinked.

"Huh? Named us?" Blinky finished writing and came back over.

"Watch. Aaarrrggghh." Aaarrrggghh looked at Blinky when he was addressed, and the scholar smiled, pointing at himself. "Who am I?" Aaarrrggghh wiggled a bit in Claire's arms happily and crooned twice in a mid-level tone. Blinky held out the paper so Claire could see what he'd written:

_Myself - moderate pitch, repeated once quickly._

"And who is this?" Blinky pointed at Claire, and Aaarrrggghh respond quickly with a mid-range tone that then went up in pitch then back down, the same sound he'd given when she'd come in.

_Claire - moderate to high and back to moderate_

"And who joined up for dinner last eve?" Aaarrrggghh thought for a moment, during which Blinky discreetly showed Claire the name 'Draal' on the paper though not the noises, then Aaarrrggghh voiced a low sound that was something like a purr crossed with the best growl he could.

_Draal - drawn and low, growling undertone_

"That's incredible!" Claire hugged the whelp. "I'm so proud of you!"

"You can imagine my surprise when I realized myself," Blinky agreed as he led her over to the table so she could see he had a full list. "And I believe the sounds aren't randomly chosen either. Take my name for example. Blin-ky, two syllables both containing a strong consonant, and two sounds equal in pitch. Cl-ai-re, three syllables with the secondary being emphasized, and a moderate-high-moderate call. Master Jim is a single for lack of a better word a chirp, as his name - I noted that just as he does as an adult Aaarrrggghh refers to our Trollhunter by his nickname alone - is one syllable and quickly said. While Draal's name is also one syllable it's more drawn out, and I think he may even be indicating that Draal's voice is lower in tone and sometimes has a rumbling quality."

"I think I see the pattern!" Claire smiled. "Toby, two syllables and the first emphasized, so high-lower?"

"Precisely! Naturally he only has names for those with those of us he's close to, so not Vendel for example. I wouldn't be surprised if - "

"Blinky! Blinky!"

The pair started in alarm as Toby ran in as fast as he could, gasping for breath and visibly pale.

"What's wrong, Tobias?"

"It's Jimbo!" His eyes darted to the door anxiously even as he explained as quickly he could speak, clearly wanting to run back to the Forge. "He was training when he slipped off one of the platforms. Draal hit the killswitch but now Jim's caught on part of the machine - the back of his armor's snagged. Draal can't get to him and he says he can't calm down enough to unsummon the armor."

"Great Grumbly Gruesomes!" As Toby ran out Blinky almost took a step towards the door, but hesitated, looking at Aarrrggghh.

"Go on!" Claire urged, shifting Aaarrrggghh slightly in her arms. While she wanted to run to her boyfriend's side she knew someone had to stay with the whelp as none of them wanted to expose him to anything related to violence or fighting, like the Forge. "Go help Jim; I'll look after Aaarrrggghh. We'll be fine." Blinky nodded and hurried after Toby.

In Claire's arms Aaarrrggghh whimpered a bit, though he calmed when Claire hugged him.

"Don't worry, Blinky will get Jim out of the mess he's in and then they'll come right back." She was trying to convince herself as much as the whelp. Aaarrrggghh twisted slightly in her arms to look up at her, then crooned and gently patted her cheek as if _he_ was trying to comfort _her_. Claire chuckled. "Thanks, Aaarrrggghh." After another snuggle she set the whelp back among his toys and settled in a chair to wait for Blinky to return with Jim. After a few moments of watching Aaarrrggghh play, rolling his toy cars across the floor and chasing after them she picked up the book on top of Blinky's stack, the one Vendel had sent over about Krubera young. She set it in her lap and began flipping through, finding a chapter on Krubera and their early development. She'd not been reading long however when she heard a thump and Aaarrrggghh cry out. Instantly her eyes snapped up to find the whelp sprawled flat on the ground and whimpering, slowly rolling to his side.

"Oh Aaarrrggghh, what happened?" Claire set the book aside and hurried over to him as he slowly sat up, seeing a white mark on his knees and along one forearm; a scrape. Seeing one of the toy cars a small distance away it was easy to put two and two together. "Did you trip when you were chasing your car?" A nod and a sniffle was the reply, and Claire gently picked the whelp up, holding him against her hip like she might Enrique. "I'm pretty sure Blinky mentioned a first aid kit around here - ah! There it is!" She set Aaarrrggghh on the couch with an encouragement for him to stay there and retrieved the kit, bringing it back and setting it on the couch as well before opening it. From experience with her little brother she knew letting Aaarrrggghh see what she was about to use would help with any fear of the treatment. "Okay, now let me see." Thankfully Blinky had the foresight to label everything, in both English and Trollish, so even if she wasn't fluent in both languages it was easy to find what she needed: a bottle of pain-numbing liquid and a rolled bandage. "Alright, Aaarrrggghh, this will help your scrapes feel better, I promise. First this to make the pain go away, then a bandage to keep it safe." She soaked a cloth in the solution then sat next to Aaarrrggghh and put an arm around Aaarrrggghh's shoulders. If this was anything like human antibiotics or wound medicine in general she knew it likely would sting. "Ok, quick dabs and we'll be done." Aaarrrggghh flinched and tried to pull back as Claire tended his scraped knees, whimpering as it did seem to sting, then she had to coax him for almost a solid minute to get him to let her tend to his arm. It broke her heart to have to put him through the sting of it even with it fading afterwards, but in the long run it would be worth it. Finally the injuries were treated and wrapped in soft bandages to wait out a natural healing. "There, all done," Claire sing-songed, picking up Aaarrrggghh but shifting him back to the couch when he tensed and made a noise of pain.

"Aaarrrggghh? What's wrong, do you hurt somewhere else?" Claire had a heart-stopping moment where she thought the whelp might have lost his trust in her for her having to hurt him, but he was holding to the arm she had around him and didn't seem to want to let go. He shook his head in answer to her question, looking up at her like he wanted to be held but something was preventing it.

Then it dawned on her. As they normally held Aaarrrggghh both his knees and his forearm would be against her, and he was probably afraid of having them touched as Enrique would sometimes pull away injuries from her, fearing further pain. And it was thinking of her little brother that gave a solution.

"Okay, Aaarrrggghh, I have an idea. Just let me -" Claire put her arms around Aaarrrggghh and she scooped him up, flipping him onto his back in the process and cradling him as she would Enrique. It let her hold him and kept his injuries away from contact. "How's this? Is it okay, Aaarrrggghh?" The whelp blinked, seeming surprised by the posture, but then smiled and leaned his head against her, by all appearances quite comfortable. Claire smiled and started walking with him much as Blinky had done that first day. It was so similar to all the times she walked with Enrique that before she thought about it she started humming a melody. It was one she'd heard during her childhood, sung by her grandmother. She'd gone through it once when she realized what she was doing as Aaarrrggghh made an inquisitive noise. He was looking up at her sleepily, and she smiled then began again, singing the words this time only to pause when she saw he was looking up at her in confusion.

"Ah," she chuckled, "right. Can't understand Spanish, can you?" Claire hummed through it a bit, then began translating on the fly into Trollish. Aaarrrggghh's expression lit up and he let his eyes close, soon drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

Claire smiled at the whelp in her arms, turning to lay him on the couch and in the process saw Blinky had returned with Jim, Toby, and Draal and were standing in the doorway.

"That was lovely, Claire," Blinky whispered so as to not awaken the sleeping Aaarrrggghh as the girl settled the whelp down for a nap.

"Thanks." She ran a hand over Aaarrrggghh's shoulders and back, smiling at his peaceful sigh.

"And should Aaarrrggghh remember this time I am certain he will be grateful for your gift to him. I know he once told me he doesn't remember any Trollmother's Song ever sung for him."

"Trollmother's Song?" echoed Toby. Draal offered the answer.

"A song sung by a mother for their whelp. They are treasured melodies, typically kept secret between them and sometimes the father should he overhear."

"And Aaarrrggghh doesn't remember his family," Jim murmured sadly. "He doesn't remember his mother."

"No," agreed Blinky. Claire looked fondly at the whelp sleeping beside her.

"Well, since we're taking care of him I think that kinda makes me his mother while he's like this, so I'll just sing it for him like his real mother would. It'll be Aaarrrggghh's Lullaby."


	5. Chapter 5 Vendel: Healing

((To some of my kind reviewers, I apologize for not replying to your comments. For some reason some of the reviews, though arriving into my inbox and appearing in the Review Count for the story, were not viewable on the Reviews page until today (as in just a moment ago when I looked). If anyone might know a solution to this or why it happened, feel free to PM me!))

Though Blinky had balked at the thought, knowing how Aaarrrggghh would likely react, two days later he knew he had little other option. Aaarrrggghh's knees had healed overnight but his forearm, visibly mended, still seemed touch-sensitive. He would barely let Blinky examine it, would flinch away if he even seemed about to touch it, whether or not the scholar actually did, and wouldn't put weight to it or lift with it. And nothing in his books gave insight as to what was going on.

There was no option: Blinky had to take Aaarrrggghh to Vendel.

As they walked through the streets of Trollmarket Blinky thought through how exactly he would handle this, or rather how _Aaarrrggghh_ would handle it and how Blinky could soften the blow. The white-eyed healer had remained far away from the library ever since the whelp had given such a horrible, fearful reaction to him and then Blinky had promised Aaarrrggghh he wouldn't have to see Vendel again. But now with little other option Blinky would have to instigate another meeting.

As he walked and the whelp looked around from Blinky's arms with wide, curious eyes, Blinky began to muse to himself that perhaps he could spin things to set Aaarrrggghh more at ease, make it seem like Blinky was the one in control at all times rather than Vendel. Granted, such would take Vendel's cooperation with little to no coordinating communication between the two adult Trolls, but it was at least a plan. Surely Aaarrrggghh's trust in Blinky would hold through.

Soon he had no more time to think on it as the infirmary came into view.

"Alright, Aaarrrggghh," murmured the scholar; he wouldn't blindside the whelp with this, "now, I know this may be scary for you, but I'll be right here with you the entire time. This will make your arm feel better." Aaarrrggghh squeaked inquisitively, but he fell silent when they stepped beyond the entryway...and burrowed his head against Blinky's shoulder with a muffled whimper when he saw the sole occupant of the room.

"Well," Vendel greeted, insightfully pitching his voice to be friendly and welcoming; Blinky couldn't thank him enough for that, "this is quite a surprise. I hope you've not sought me out for anything serious."

"Aaarrrggghh had a small fall the other day," Blinky explained, "and scraped his knees and forearm. Though the actual scrapes have healed well enough visually he still seems to be feeling some pain. So I believed bringing him to you was the most viable option." Vendel murmured softly to himself, nodding.

"Yes, that was a good decision." The healer smiled, trying to entice the whelp's attention. Aaarrrggghh peeked out, then buried his face again. "Hmm, well, yes. Fortunately, this isn't the first time I've worked with a shall we say reluctant whelp, Aaarrrggghh's past aside." Vendel went to a shelf and pulled a thick blanket down, spreading it out over one of the stone examination beds and gesturing for Blinky to put Aaarrrggghh on it. When he tried however Aaarrrggghh resisted, clinging to Blinky even though it clearly pained his arm to do so and whimpering. "Alright, one moment." Vendel walked right up to them, making the whelp press against his protector, and knelt down to be more on Aaarrrggghh's level.

"You and I got off on something of a wrong foot, didn't we Aaarrrggghh." Aaarrrggghh timidly peeked out at the very gentle tone Vendel adopted. The white-eyed Troll was smiling kindly, slightly tipping his head in a manner he'd long since found eased whelps who were fearful of him. "Well, I will not hurt you. I am a healer, and to cause harm is against everything I stand for." Aarrrggghh peeked out a bit more, an encouraging sight. Vendel straightened and patted the top of the table. "Why not let Blinky set you up here, so I can try and help, hm? I promise not to touch you unless you let me." After a moment's hesitation Aaarrrggghh nodded, and Blinky set the whelp on the soft padding. Given the size of the table where Blinky himself might have had a seat if he'd been the one being examined Aaarrrggghh was more than capable of standing on it, and they both could see how he was favoring his arm, holding it up rather than letting it help his balance. Vendel was good on his word to maintain a distance while Blinky remained in close proximity. "Well, it does look well-healed. Hmm..."

"Aaarrrggghh, can you move your arm for Vendel, even a bit?" Blinky asked as he stroked a hand over the whelp's back. "You don't have to if it hurts you to." Aaarrrggghh looked at Vendel warily, but slowly moved his arm about an inch; beyond that seemed to pain him. Vendel watched, then gestured with a hand for Aaarrrggghh to stop.

"Alright, I think I understand what is wrong, but to confirm it I will need to touch him." Not even having to have anything clarified Aaarrrggghh whined and recoiled. Vendel shifted, his expression unchanging but Blinky saw in the elder's eyes that it really bothered him to be unable to help, and to have someone he saw as a friend so afraid of him.

Then Aaarrrggghh became aware of a glittering light refracting into his eyes and looked up, and his eyes widened in surprise and awe.

"Hmm?" Vendel glanced upwards, though it was only after he moved again and then followed the whelp's line of sight that he realize what had caught Aaarrrggghh's attention: his Heartstone staff. "Ahh, getting a good look at that, are you?" Slowly, so Aaarrrggghh wouldn't think he was about to be struck, Vendel set the staff down onto the table within the whelp's reach. "Go ahead, if you want to." Warily Aaarrrggghh looked at Vendel, then at Blinky who nodded, then sat and reached out to touch the staff and at the feel of the warmth that emminated from the piece of the Heartstone he relaxed, soothed. Blinky stroked over his shoulders.

"Feeling better?" Aaarrrggghh nodded, then looked at Vendel when he heard the clinking of crystals. The healer was removing a white crystal from a nearby shelf. He approached again and lay his hand on the blanket-covered table, palm up invitingly.

"If you will let me," Vendel urged, "then I can show you the true purpose of a healer, unlike anyone else who might have 'seen to your hurts' before. Yes, Aaarrrggghh - " Vendel had seen how the whelp's eyes had widened. " - I can imagine what kind of experience with healers you may have had. But I am different. " Aaarrrggghh hesitated, glancing once more at Blinky, but moved closer and touched Vendel's hand with his.

Vendel smiled at the show of trust and gently felt up to Aaarrrggghh's wrist, then to his elbow, and nodded to himself.

"As I thought. The scrape was just that, but in his fall he put strain on his elbow. Possibly a minor, internal stress fracture were I to guess. Nothing more dangerous that if the Trollhunter pulled a muscle. It would heal on its own in a few more days, if it were not used or moved too much. But for our Aaarrrggghh that is far less desirable, isn't it?" Aaarrrggghh voiced an inquisitive noise at the 'our' part, but Vendel just smiled and held up the crystal. "So why wait? You see, Aaarrrggghh, I do not harm." He passed the crystal over the whelp's arm, where it began to glow as Vendel unlocked its stored magic. "I take pain away." The magic seeped its warm glow into Aaarrrggghh and he voiced a soft sound of surprise, but when the glow faded he withdrew his arm to slowly flex it, seeming awed by it suddenly feeling better. "Any more pain, Aaarrrggghh?" The little Krubera looked up at Vendel, blinked, then surprised them both by lunging into Vendel's arms to hug him. Vendel reacted more on instinct than anything to catch him.

"Oh my!" Blinky gasped, then chuckled. "Well, it seems he's overcome his fear of you."

"Quite," agreed Vendel, chuckling softly. "Perhaps I can get a proper physical examination on you now, Aaarrrggghh, same as any other whelp in Trollmarket." Aaarrrggghh just crooned, which they took as approval and he was set on the table again. But they'd hardly started on the exam, with Blinky helping steady Aaarrrggghh upright while Vendel used a knotted rope to measure his height, when from outside came a sudden commotion. Vendel frowned, thought Blinky was the one who offered to investigate. Aaarrrggghh didn't seem upset by Blinky moving further away to stick his head out the door - Vendel kept him distracted by asking the whelp to help him by stepping on part of the rope to hold it in place which Aaarrrggghh thought was a lot of fun - then the scholar returned.

"I asked Bagdwella and some others to watch my library against that menace coming back," he explained, "and she believes there was a sighting of him going in. I don't want Aaarrrggghh anywhere near that gnome after the last incident, but I worry what mischief he may get into in my library if he's not driven out quickly."

"And even were the Trollhunter alerted he would take several minutes to get here, " finished the healer, already seeing where this was going. "It is alright; I can watch Aaarrrggghh here where he will be safe from menacing gnomes, and you can go chase him away once more."

"Thank you, Vendel." Blinky stroked Aaarrrggghh's head gently. "I'll be back, Aaarrrggghh, after I deal with that pest. Be good for Vendel." The whelp chirped but other than a brief sound when the scholar stepped from view he remained calm, looking at Vendel curiously.

"Hmm, well as I have your height let's just finish this up." Weight was determined by Vendel sitting Aaarrrggghh on a scale, and the healer felt it was clear Aaarrrggghh's eyesight and hearing was fine. The way he responded to them and watched what happened around him said that clearly enough, as well as the fact that as an adult he had no hearing or vision difficulties. Soon the examination was finished, and Blinky still had yet to return.

"Hmm." Vendel looked at the whelp, sitting on the blanket-padded table, then at the door. "Seems he likely got sidetracked. Probably someone asking about the Trollhunter again. I have no doubt he will return soon, grumbling about some Troll or another waylaying him. So until then, Aaarrrggghh, perhaps you could help me." Aaarrrggghh chirped as Vendel moved to a shelf and took down several small baskets, stacking them together until he had five, pausing on his way back to reach into a particular ceramic jar before returning to the table. "But first, a reward for you. I always offer such to whelps who put up with being examined. I can imagine how much of a trial it is." The healer offered the pair of white sticks to Aaarrrggghh, and it only took a twitch of his nose to have the whelp grinning eagerly. "Chalk with a dusting of mica," conversed Vendel casually as he handed them over and watched, smiling, as Aaarrrggghh made short work of the Troll sweets and quite naturally got the powdery chalk all over his hands, face, and fur.

Whelps always did that, sans the fur part. As _not_ the one who would have to clean them up later he always found it equal parts endearing and amusing.

While Aaarrrggghh was licking much of the powder residue from his fingers Vendel was arranging the baskets, each with a different colored wrapping around the top, on the table. Then he pulled a bag from beside the examination table and opened it, carefully spreading out the various crystals within.

"Enjoy that?" he asked. Aaarrrggghh nodded with a very pleased sound, and Vendel pulled a cloth from a shelf. "Normally I wouldn't fuss, but I need your help with this and your hands need to be clean." Aaarrrggghh let his hands be wiped clean and be placed in the middle of the baskets. Vendel sat on a stool and picked up one of the crystals, examining it a few moments before he offered it to the whelp. "Could you put this in the _blue basket,_ please?" Aaarrrggghh looked at the crystal, then Vendel, then the baskets, and after a moment of consideration put the crystal in the correct basket.

"Well done! Now this one in the red basket, if you will."

Blinky returned to an interesting scene: Vendel selecting crystals and offering them to Aaarrrggghh who put them into the named basket with quite a bit of enthusiasm for the game.

"Ah, Blinkous." The healer turned to greet him as Aaarrrggghh chirped and stamped in place in excitement to see his caretaker again. "I take it all is well now?"

"Yes. The gnome has been chased away again, thankfully. I admit I was tempted to catch it as it's behavior seems a bit extreme even for a gnome and wanted you to take a look at it." Vendel frowned as Blinky picked up the whelp.

"As if anyone can fully understand those little pests. But should you succeed I will take a look at it." Blinky smiled at the offer.

"Thank you again for watching Aaarrrggghh for me."

"He was quite a good helper. He is a bright whelp; had things been different who knows? He might have been a healer himself." The adult Trolls chuckled and Blinky bid his farewell, Aaarrrggghh waving at Vendel over Blinky's shoulder and a smear of white chalk transferring to the blue Troll's stone hide in the process. It had to be the most adorable thing the healer had ever seen. Vendel chuckled to himself, turning back to finish sorting the crystals and committing the image to memory.


	6. Chapter 6 Toby: Friendship

He'd been asking ever since it had happened, and finally Toby had gotten the answer he wanted.

Blinky was letting Toby take Aaarrrggghh to his house for the weekend.

"Alright, Wingman!" Toby cheered, scooping the whelp up into his arms after training. "Ready to come spend a couple days with me?" Aaarrrggghh chirped happily.

"It really is good timing," Blinky admitted. "While I was concerned, given Monday is a day off from school for you it should all work out well enough."

"Yep! I can take him tonight, then Monday when we come to train Jim and I will take Draal's tunnel to bring him back," the teen repeated the agreed-upon arrangements as Blinky tucked a final item into a bag he'd prepared for the trip. "And since we'll stay up in my room Nana won't realize anything's going on either. Aaarrrggghh's so quiet she'll never hear him!" Aaarrrggghh squealed eagerly, getting a laugh as the scholar slid the bag on Toby's shoulder. "What's in this?"

"Just some medical supplies, to be safe, and some things for Aaarrrggghh to eat if none of his usual snacks appeal to him right now. I know you and he keep some things at your house."

"Yep! And ever since you okay'd this weekend I've been collecting things too." Toby shifted Aaarrrggghh in his arms a bit. "Don't worry, Blinky! We'll be fine." Blinky sighed.

"I know. I suppose I just feel responsible for Aaarrrggghh's well-being while he's like this, so it's making me a little over-protective."

"If we get into any real trouble, I'll call Jim or use the tunnel to get Draal, promise. And I have your number now too." That seemed to settle Blinky's hesitation at last as he smiled and patted Toby's shoulder.

"I know you wouldn't let anything happen to him, just like he'd never let anything happen to you."

"Wouldn't dream of it. He's taken care of me more times than I can count." Toby nuzzled the whelp's furry head, getting a trilling croon. "Now it's my turn to take care of him."

"Well, go have fun." Blinky stroked Aaarrrggghh's head, then the teen and his charge headed up the staircase to the surface. Aaarrrggghh blinked, seeming to realize that Blinky wasn't coming along as well, and whimpered softly.

"It's okay, Aaarrrggghh," Toby soothed. "You're just going to spend a couple days having fun with me, then come home to Blinky afterwards. I've got snacks and games and all sorts of fun stuff!" The whelp's eyes widened at the promised bounty. "You might not remember it but you've been to my house before. We're kinda like off and on roommates, and we have all kinds of fun!" Aaarrrggghh crooned curiously, which Toby took as a good thing. He caught up with Jim and Claire at the crystal staircase and they went up together.

When they stepped outside the protection of Trollmarket Aaarrrggghh instinctively ducked, cringing from the expected light. But it was well after sundown; there wasn't even the slightest hint of the devastating orb in the sky. Carried out from beneath the bridge Aaarrrggghh crooned in awe, looking up at the star-strewn sky with eyes as wide as they could be.

"Okay, Aaarrrggghh," Toby said, stroking the whelp's head, "now we'll head to my house. I've got you, so don't need to worry about any loud noises." None of them wanted Aaarrrggghh to panic and get away from them. They draped him in a blanket just as a precaution against being seen then began walking.

"Too bad my mom had to work," Jim casually conversed, "or she would've given us a ride." Claire laughed softly, looking sidelong at Aaarrrggghh.

"Honestly, I think this may be worth it. Just look at him!" The whelp was peeking out at everything in wonder, and frequently up at the stars as if they fascinated him.

The three walked together until they reached the point where Claire had to separate away to go to her home, and in the cul-de-sac Jim and Toby bid one another good night and separated.

"Ok Aaarrrggghh, now just be quiet for a few minutes while we get inside and up to my room. Not that you make much noise anyways." Toby grinned at his Little Wingman, tucked the blanket further around him, then opened the door and went inside. As usual they could hear the tv on, playing some private eye show by the sound of it.

"Toby-pie, is that you?" the elderly woman called.

"Yeah, it's me, Nana." Toby closed the door with his foot and made sure Aaarrrggghh was well-concealed as the whelp had started in surprise when he'd heard the woman's voice.

"Oh good! It's almost dinnertime." She came into the kitchen to give her beloved grandson a kiss, but her poor eyesight prevented her from seeing anything more than a moderately large blob in his arms. "What's that?"

"School project," he smoothly replied. "Something Jimbo and I are working on."

"Ah, that's nice! Well, I'll call you when the food is ready." Toby smiled at her and voiced an agreement, then quickly made his way upstairs to his room. Pushing open the door, he slipped in with his Troll Whelp companion and closed it behind them.

"Phew! Made it!" He chuckled, setting Aaarrrggghh on the bed and unwrapping him. The whelp chirped at him, shaking off the last of the blanket and looking around wide-eyed and nose twitching. "Yeah, seem familiar huh?" Aaarrrggghh nodded, then his eyes darted to the dollhouse opposite the bed and widened sharply. Toby was about to ask what was wrong when Aaarrrggghh recoiled with a small, muffled squeal of fright and he heard Chompsky's chatter.

"Oh! No, it's okay." Toby crawled on the bed to where Aaarrrggghh had pressed his back against the wall. He put his arms around the whelp, cuddling him reassuringly. "That's not the mean gnome, Aaarrrggghh. That's a different gnome. He's a friend! His name's Gnome Chompsky." Chompsky stuck his head out the dollhouse's lower floor's window, smiling a toothy gnome smile and waving at them. Toby was very glad at that moment that he had prepped his tiny roommate as to the situation, both with what had happened to Aaarrrggghh as well as what had occurred in the library. Chompsky made a cooing sound, trying to sound non-threatening, vanished for a moment, then came out the door and bounded up on the bed. Though he was shaking a bit, Toby was happy to see Aaarrrggghh was controlling his fear and seemed to trust him to the point that as long as Toby said it was safe, and he was in the boy's arms, he would remain unharmed. And perhaps he could even scent that Chompsky smelled different, Toby mused.

Chompsky had one arm held behind him, and when he got within a couple feet he held out a pipe-cleaner flower to Aaarrrggghh, something he'd made over the past couple days since Toby had gotten the approval. The gnome chattered, gesturing offering with the flower, and Aaarrrggghh looked up at Toby curiously.

"I think he's wanting to give it to you as a gift." Chompsky nodded and chattered again, and slowly Aaarrrggghh reached out to take the gift. He cooed when he felt he fuzzy stem and was soon enthralled in brushing his fingers carefully over the petals. But for all his care the stem still bent a bit, and he whimpered. Chompsky moved forward to pat the whelp's knee, about the only place he could reach given Aaarrrggghh's posture, and Toby rubbed his shoulders.

"It's okay, you didn't break it! Watch!" Taking the flower Toby straightened the stem back, then bent it into a curl, then straightened it again. "See? It's meant to bend." On impulse Toby curled the flower around Aaarrrggghh's wrist like a bracelet. It barely was long enough, but it stayed put and Aaarrrggghh cooed, liking the furry nature of the pipe cleaners. He stroked them with his fingers and nuzzled against them, then gently patted Chompsky on the hat (thankfully not dislodging it) in thanks.

"See, he's not so bad." Aaarrrggghh nodded in agreement, no longer trembling and smiling wide. Chompsky chattered some more, then hopped down from the bed and returned to his house.

Also thankfully, Toby had been able to convince Chompsky to keep his romance with Sally-Go-Back quiet, citing Aaarrrggghh's current age. He in _no_ way wanted to explain _that_ kind of thing to a whelp, _especially_ since the lady in the arrangement was a plastic action figure and doubly especially since said whelp would be an adult again eventually and would maybe remember the awkward conversation.

Yeah, just no. Running laps in PE nope in fact!

Aaarrrggghh was happily exploring around on the bed, sniffing at this and that and Toby was contemplating starting up the game system – even as a whelp it was likely that he could handle the easy controls and would like the bright colors and music of Go-Go Sushi – when Nana called up that it was dinnertime. Toby hopped up to slightly open the door and called back down.

"I'll be down in a minute!" Closing the door he returned to the bed to address his Little Wingman. "Okay, Aaarrrggghh, I gotta go downstairs for dinner. It'll be a few minutes, so you can come with me – you'd have to stay really, really quiet and sit still so Nana wouldn't get suspicious – or you can stay up here if you're okay with that. So stay here or go with me?" The whelp thought for a moment, looking around the room, then crawled into Toby's arms and latched onto him. Toby chuckled. "Ok, then. Lets get you set up."

Toby joined his Nana at the table a few minutes later, setting a bundle of cloth down on a spare chair next to him.

"I made spaghetti tonight," she announced as she set a plate in front of him, her nearsighted eyes briefly brushing over what to her must've looked like a pile of laundry because she asked, "Should I put that in the wash?"

"No, Nana, it's ok. This is my project." He gave it a pat, and Aaarrrggghh very carefully peeked one eye out. "I just need to keep it close to me this weekend."

"Well I'm certain that you and Jim will do wonderful on your project." Grandmother and grandson talked as they ate, with Toby slipping Aaarrrggghh bits of napkins to nibble on, and after the meal the teen took the 'project' back up to his room.

"Should be all clear now!" Toby laughed as Aaarrrggghh merrily tumbled himself out of the blankets. Aaarrrggghh trilled, then frowned slightly and rubbed his stomach. "Hungry, huh? I didn't think napkins would fill you up. But never fear - I know just the thing!" Toby knelt down by the bed and reached under it with the whelp crawling to the edge to peek over. "One, two, three - ta da!" Toby pulled a box filled with all sorts of Troll treats from concealment, setting it on the bed next to the whelp so he could look in as well. "We got socks, lightbulbs - hmm, might want to hold off on that for now, sharp glass and all - newspapers, old tinsel, and your favorite - " Toby pulled out a black rectangle. " - VHS!" Aaarrrggghh's eyes widened as Toby handed over the tape, letting him sniff and lick it while the teen rummaged more through the box. A noise, frustration mixed with little growls, brought his attention back to Aaarrrggghh. The Troll was struggling with the tape, biting into a corner and though his teeth were sharp enough to make some cracks and break away little pieces, it seemed he lacked the jaw strength to bite fully through as he could as an adult.

"Oh, I didn't think of that," Toby admitted as Aaarrrggghh gave up for the moment, licking some of the fragments up instead. He really seemed to like the taste so Toby hated that he couldn't actually eat it. "I don't think I could break one without a fight either...hmm...hold on a second! I may have an idea! Can I have that back, Aaarrrggghh?" The whelp handed the tape back over. Toby opened the flap and began pulling the ribbon out until with a firm tug he snapped one end free, then the other, setting the pile in front of Aaarrrggghh. "You start with that, and I'll see if I can find something to break this up for you." Aaarrrggghh's face lit up in delight, and he crooned as Toby went to the closet to look for something to help break it with. He'd considered his Warhammer but realized it was likely he'd damage the floor or turn the tape into powder. He'd just grabbed hold of a large rock from his collection when he heard a muffled but pleased noise. Turning, he saw Aaarrrggghh happily sitting on the bed, cheeks bulging from where he'd stuffed all of the ribbon into his mouth at once. Little bits and loops were peeking out of his smile as he blissfully munched, eyes closed in pure happiness.

It was heart-melting adorable, plain and simple.

Toby was able to break up the casing with his rocks, and when the pieces were smaller Aaarrrggghh managed well enough. The socks and a few lengths of tinsel followed before he was full, sprawling over on his side making happy noises. Toby stroked over his fur and Aaarrrggghh wiggled around into his lap, fingers curling into his shirt. For a while they were content to sit there and cuddle, then Toby got his Little Wingman's attention.

"Want to play a game?" Just like Toby had expected Aaarrrggghh was enchanted by the Go-Go Sushi game, and with a little help he was able to move the character around and earn some points. Toby proudly helped him put in 'WARG' into the high score list (yeah, 'ARGH' was listed multiple times much higher up, but Toby thought the Troll would get a kick out of seeing what Little-him had done when he was grown again), then the whelp started yawning.

A few hours later Chompsky peeked out of the house when the room got quiet. Toby had gone to bed, and Aaarrrggghh was tucked up against his side, both peacefully asleep. Aaarrrggghh still wore the pipe cleaner flower bracelet, and his smile was one of complete, utter contentment.


	7. Chapter 7 Draal: Playtime

Sunday evening at the Lake household was a peaceful time, Draal had come to find out. Blinky had begun giving Jim the night off from training, with the intention of the boy getting rest for school the next day. So Jim tended to relax and would either invite Draal up to watch a movie or come down to just hang out together. At first a bit awkward to the warrior by now he enjoyed himself (even if he would never admit it).

Right now Jim was upstairs having dinner with his mother, who amazingly was actually off for the night. Draal planned to join them when they were through to watch a movie that Jim promised Draal would enjoy. He had his doubts but he'd humor the fleshbag if for no other reason than to poke at him later with questions to embarrass him or the like. While he waited the Troll performed some maintenance on his arm and polished a couple of marks out of it. Sitting next to the pipes as he was he caught bits of their conversation and laughter. It was a good night.

There was a lull in conversation, then an abrupt scrape of a chair. Draal lifted his head, frowning slightly as he heard another chair scrape and hurried footsteps approaching the basement door even as other footsteps moved towards the front. Cautiously Draal crept to the bottom of the steps, talking up position where he wouldn't immediately be seen, just as a precaution, as the door opened.

"Draal!" Jim called, and Draal stepped into view as the teen hurried down.

"What is wrong?"

"Toby's Nana is feeling sick," Jim hurriedly explained, holding his phone to his ear. "Toby got worried and called to ask my mom what to do, and I think it's really bad because my mom went over there. Toby's bringing Aaarrrggghh here." Even as the Trollhunter was talking they heard Toby running into the house at a greater speed than Draal had ever heard from the portly human. Gasping and calling Jim's name, Toby scrambled down the stairs with a blanket-wrapped Aaarrrggghh in his arms.

"Jimbo! Jimbo!"

"Easy, Tobes," Jim tried to soothe, but Toby was distraught beyond being calmed down.

"This is bad, real bad! Your mom said something about the hospital!" Both Jim and Draal's eyes widened. Only able to shake his head, Toby gave the whelp in his arms a hug like it comforted him as well. Aaarrrggghh was quiet but his eyes were large and round in distress, looking from Draal to Jim as if he wanted them to _do_ _something_. Draal looked at the Trollhunter who was listening to his phone even as he watched his friend.

"Yeah, mom," Jim said. "We'll head back over." He hung up, and the look the Trollhunter gave Draal said everything that was needed. The Troll nodded subtly in understanding and Jim put a hand on Toby's shoulder. "My mom is taking her to the hospital. She thinks it's nothing serious, but wants to be certain. She'll drive us there."

"But what about Aaarrrggghh?"

"I will take care of Aaarrrggghh in your absence," Draal put in without hesitation. "You were returning to Trollmarket tomorrow, right? I will simply take him back early." Toby bit his lip, clearly torn between his loyalty to his grandmother and his loyalty to the whelp. Aaarrrggghh looked between them all, then crooned and patted Toby's cheek and nuzzled him, then reached for Draal. Toby sniffled, smiling gratefully and giving Aaarrrggghh a hug.

"Thanks, Wingman-Whelp. You too Draal." Draal snorted softly as he took Aaarrrggghh into his arms, though there was understanding in his expression.

"To care for an elder of your family is honorable." Jim's phone buzzed and he checked the text, then touched Toby's shoulder.

"They're ready to go." Toby nodded and hurried up the stairs. Draal and Jim exchanged another look, the boy's questioning. Draal nodded for him to go up as well.

"Go keep him steady. We will be fine."

"Alright." Jim followed Toby, closing the door behind them and leaving warrior and whelp alone. For a few moments the pair just stood there, watching after where the two boys had vanished as above them Draal's keen hearing faintly picked up the sound of the front door closing and locking, then a few moments later the Lake car drive away. He remained looking at the small basement window for a couple of minutes more before he felt a small Troll hand running curiously over his arm. Looking down Aaarrrggghh was poking and for lack of a better word petting the metal arm, even sniffing at it, then looking at his stone-flesh arm as if comparing them. Draal couldn't help but grin.

"Different, eh?" The whelp looked up at the warrior, eyes wide, and nodded. "Heh. Long story that. I'll tell you on the way back to Trollmarket." Aaarrrggghh made a soft noise, looking at the dark window as if worried. "Don't worry about them. The Trollhunter will make everything right again. You will likely see Toby tomorrow. Now let's get you back to Blinky and tell him what's going on." Draal turned to his tunnel, starting the walk to Trollmarket. For a few minutes he was quite, thinking over what he felt was safe to tell Aaarrrggghh about his arm and the events surrounding it. The battle and his lost arm were a rather violent topic, fine for most any other retelling but not so much in this case.

"Some time ago," he finally said to a very rapt audience of one, "the Trollhunter had to go fight a very bad Troll, a Gumm-Gumm who wanted to hurt a lot of people." He omitted Bular's name, just in case Aaarrrggghh would recognize it. "We, as his friends, went with him to help him. But in the fight my arm was hurt very badly, so badly that no one could make it better. Not even Vendel could fix it." Aaarrrggghh crooned sympathetically. "So they made this arm to replace my hurt one." Shifting the whelp to his natural arm - Aaarrrggghh was so small it was easy to hold him in one arm alone - Draal turned his metal arm to either side in display, opening and closing his fist. "Though it was odd at first, I've gotten used to it now and it's as comfortable to me as my normal arm." Putting both arms back around the whelp Draal thought he'd done pretty good with that (rather abbreviated) explanation. Aaarrrggghh seemed to agree if his wide-eyed stare were any indication. Then he patted the metal arm, making sounds that Draal thought meant something but Merlin-knew-what, then nuzzled up against Draal's shoulder. Draal just hummed softly to himself. So far he didn't think he was doing so bad, taking care of Aaarrrggghh.

The whelp dozed off in the warrior's arms while they were walking, curled up against Draal's chest and shoulder with a peaceful smile. He remained asleep until they neared the Trollmarket end of the tunnel when Draal had to shift him to his mechanical arm to get the Horngazel out of a belt pouch. Aaarrrggghh sleepily blinked open his eyes.

"We're here," Draal said in explanation, tracing the semi-circle and placing his hand to the center to open the way. Aaarrrggghh crooned, smiling eagerly, as it opened and they stepped through into an out-of-the-way alcove on the streets of Trollmarket. Moving into the thoroughfare they were greeted by the hustle and bustle of the underground civilization overlooked by the warm glow of the Hearthstone. A few glanced their way but by this point practically everyone in Trollmarket knew about Aaarrrggghh's transformation. Hard not to when Blinky had first gone shopping, whelp in arms, and humans weren't the only ones who liked rumors. So as Draal started heading to the library no one bothered them. Aaarrrggghh was trying to look everywhere at once as whelps tended to do and Draal couldn't help a grin. It was like he didn't remember - and Draal supposed he didn't - that he'd lived in Trollmarket for centuries.

" - look familiar. "

The words drifted to Draal's ears as he was keeping alert for any gnomes that might cross their path. It sounded like two elderly female Trolls chatting, and though he wasn't intentionally eavesdropping he overheard a snippet of their conversation.

"I know! He certainly seems a natural."

"Just like his father. Remember all the times Kanjigar would walk with him through the streets just like that?"

"Oh yes. He was always so good with whelps..." They continued on their own path and out of Draal's hearing. Draal felt a burst of pride at their words anyways, puffing up a bit as he slightly secured his hold at approaching chatter, glaring at the gnomes to scatter them even before Aaarrrggghh had time to notice them. He'd come to know that his father was proud of him, both from Kanjigar's own words as a spirit and from a video that the Trollhunter had made, but it would never fail to give the warrior incredible satisfaction when he heard that he reminded others of his father, was like him, in any way.

Eventually they drew near to the library. Aaarrrggghh chirped excitedly as he recognized their surroundings, but Draal frowned slightly. The library was dark, the door closed. Even when Blinky slept he kept a light glowing somewhere so if he was needed others would know where he was. For the library to be utterly dark meant he was not there.

"Looking for Blinkous?" asked a Troll as he saw them.

"Yes."

"Think I saw him going off with Vendel. Looked pretty serious. They were heading to the Hearthstone."

"Thank you." Draal shifted Aaarrrggghh slightly. The whelp had figured out that something in Draal's plan wasn't going accordingly and gave a low, growling croon that Draal had been told was essentially his name. "Seems like Blinky is having a talk with Vendel. It's probably important." An idea hit the warrior just then and he decided to run with it. "So I'll take care of you until they're done." True, he'd never taken care of a whelp for an _elongated_ time before nor had planned to now, but surely he could handle a whelp like Aaarrrggghh, right? Aaarrrggghh seemed okay with it, so Draal turned and headed deeper into Trollmarket. He had been intending to do some shopping after he trained with the Trollhunter next so it just made sense in this situation to do it in advance. Plus he could get some things for Aaarrrggghh to eat too. A quick stop to get a bag from his house to carry his purchases in and they were ready.

Usually when Draal made these shopping trips he was very efficient about it. He got what he needed and was done within an hour barring gnome interference, Trollhunter inqueries, or invitations from friends to get a drink. But this time he lingered. Even though Draal knew that Blinky had taken Aaarrrggghh out numerous times the whelp still seemed fascinated by everything around him. He seemed shy around the multitude of Trolls they passed, ducking his head down against the warrior's shoulder at any eye contact though he'd look right back up again at the next new sound. Thankfully those Draal interacted with had the tact to not make too much of a fuss over the whelp and not to comment when they had to load the bag for Draal as his other arm was obviously occupied.

Close to two hours later Draal turned for home, having made a quick detour to confirm that yes Blinky still hasn't returned to the library. As he used this alternate route he happened to pass a stall he didn't often venture to unless on a very odd whim, at least since he'd started his training in earnest and had 'grown up.' For a moment he paused, making Aaarrrggghh look up at him with a curious noise, then grinned at the small Troll.

"Why not? I won't have to handle the fallout." Aaarrrggghh chirped, clearly not having any clue what Draal meant, but Draal just grinned and approached the stall.

"Been a while," the Troll operating the stall greeted. "One like usual?"

"Not this time. Two bags, the small ones." Draal slightly inclined his head towards Aaarrrggghh, the other Troll followed his gesture, then grinned in reply.

"Ah, I understand." He picked up a couple bags that were laying on the counter and began filling them with his wares. Aaarrrggghh leaned forward against Draal's arm, sniffing before giving a hopeful sound. Draal accepted the first bag and set it on the counter to pull out one of the pieces to give to Aaarrrggghh. The treat was quickly grabbed and stuffed into his mouth eagerly.

"Never knew a whelp that didn't love candied socks," commented the Troll and Draal had to agree. Whenever he'd gone shopping with his father they'd always had to get at least one piece of the candy, strips of socks soaked in a mixture of water, chalk, and mica and then hung up to dry. The saturated fabric never fully became stiff due to its thickness, from what Draal had learned was very close in nature to taffy from listening (albeit somewhat begrudgingly) to Toby mourn over some human candy he couldn't have.

A quick exchange later and the pair were once more on their way. Draal had one bag tired by its string to his belt to make it easier to give Aaarrrggghh pieces as he finished them, the other in his shopping bag for later. Aaarrrggghh seemed to love it as much as Draal had as a whelp, readily accepting each piece though he didn't mind when Draal popped a piece into his own mouth. They'd finished off the first bag by the time they returned to Draal's house and Aaarrrggghh let himself be set on a chair to wait while Draal put things away. The warrior returned to the main room to see the whelp watching for him eagerly, fidgeting slightly in place with energy.

Yep, he'd thought the candy would do that.

"Hmm..." Like when he explained about his arm Draal had to think a bit. Most of the games he could think of that might entertain a whelp were a bit rough, the kind of things that might upset one who had been through the kind of things Aaarrrggghh had and even now cringed at aggressive sounds. But Aaarrrggghh was looking at him expectantly, so he had to think of _something_. What would his father do in his place?

The answer came to him then and Draal grinned.

"Okay, Aaarrrggghh," he said, coming over to scoop up the whelp. "I have a little surprise for you." Aaarrrggghh crooned at him as Draal headed into his bedroom and set the whelp on the bed. He gestured for Aaarrrggghh to wait there, then knelt by a trunk at the foot of the bed and rummaged around in it. Aaarrrggghh tipped his head one way and then the other, highly curious, until a carving of a Troll in armor popped up over the edge, waggling back and forth at him. Aaarrrggghh chirped in surprise, then giggled as Draal straightened into view with a few more toys in his other arm. Some looked like Troll warriors, some like humorously-designed monsters that Troll warriors like Draal knew and had occasionally fought, like Goblins, Hellhitis, and Grursoflies. There was even a replica of the legendary Xinarlian, made comical with bulging eyes and its tongue sticking out and wings far too small for its ponderous bulk.

"I played with these when I was little," Draal commented as Aaarrrggghh began playing with the toys. Ironically it had been Aaarrrggghh who had been on the other side of those games back then, moving the monsters around in response to Draal's moving the warriors.

"Let's head into the other room," he suggested. "It will give more space." Aaarrrggghh nodded, giving that growl again that meant the warrior's name before following Draal into the living room. Draal spread out the toys and the whelp happily sat down, looking up at Draal expectantly. Draal considered it for a bit, then just grinned and shrugged to himself.

Really, who could resist? He was getting a taste of how it must've been for the Krubera when he was a whelp and had turned those pleading eyes on him. Just too adorable.

"Alright," he agreed, taking a seat on the floor to Aaarrrggghh's enthusiastic squeal. "Just don't tell anyone." Aaarrrggghh nodded and Draal took up the role of the monsters, letting Aaarrrggghh have the warriors...well, it wasn't fighting like Draal himself had done. Far closer to scolding them for trying to hurt the other Troll toys than anything, but hey it was Aaarrrggghh's game after all.

And if Draal kept the bag of candy handy for the whelp well, he deserved the treats!

The bag was empty long before the hour had passed, and Draal was letting Aaarrrggghh play by himself for a bit with the figures (did one of the warriors have a Hellhiti for a pet?) when there was a knock on the door. At Draal's call Blinky entered and found them, the whelp stopping his game and darting to the scholar happily squeaking and chirping at him the entire time.

"I got a text from Jim," he said as he picked up Aaarrrggghh, "but I couldn't leave Vendel at that stage of our examination. I finally caught the Gnome who triggered the mishap in the first place and we were trying to figure out whether his behavior was natural or some kind of effect from the magic. No luck on that end though. Thank you for watching out for Aaarrrggghh."

"It was no problem," Draal replied. "I'm sure he's a lot easier to take care of than I was." Blinky chuckled but didn't deny it, instead turning to address his little roommate.

"Ready to go home?" Aaarrrggghh chirped and nodded. Draal walked them out with Aaarrrggghh waving energetically as the. walked away. Draal grinned at him.

Yes, Blinky would probably have his hands full with a hyper Aaarrrggghh for a little bit. He almost wished he could see it; it was bound to be amusing and he had faint recollections of stories of Blinky and Aaarrrggghh getting him hyper as a whelp for his father to handle after. He hoped his father would enjoy that little bit of payback.

With a smile Draal headed back inside to clean up, content.


	8. Chapter 8 Jim: Guardian

"You sure you got this?"

Clair might have good reason to be concerned and asking Jim such a question. The last time he'd done something like this it hadn't ended exactly well for a certain bag of flour. But there was little option.

Jim would be watching over Aaarrrggghh for a couple days.

It had been a quick decision. Vendel, no longer kept away from the library by the whelp's former fear of him, had arrived with news that impacted them quite directly: a trio of Krubera had sent message ahead that they would be making a visit to Trollmarket, a customary habit as the deep-dwelling Trolls typically needed a little bit of time with Trollmarket dimmed down to adjust to the brighter lights. But Vendel had been concerned, as was Blinky, that if they found out what happened to Aaarrrggghh they would demand he go back with them as they were of his own Tribe and could 'raise him best.'

Needless to say, the collective Trollhunters were _highly_ against that thought.

So they had come up with a plan. Draal took the Gyre to the Quaggawumps with the intention to remain there until he received the all clear. The Krubera had little no to contact with the Florida-dwelling Trolls and they themselves were willing to deny any lack of Aaarrrggghh if asked by any save Queen Ursurna herself. It was a small thing to do for the Trollhunter who had helped them so many times, as long as they themselves weren't put under any undue risk. Blinky and Vendel would be making themselves as hard-to-contact as possible, legitimately working on persistent issues with a cavern expansion. Unless they pressed the issue, the Krubera would find them unavailable. Most all Trolls in Trollmarket, owing to their loyalty to the Trollhunter and obedience to Vendel, would mention nothing. Claire and Toby, while they would have been willing to whelp-sit, couldn't. Claire had a family function to attend as the daughter of Arcadia Oak's councilwoman, and Nana D. was still weak from the small bout of pneumonia that her earlier sickness turned out to be. Toby was focusing on caring for her, which left Jim.

"Don't worry, Claire," Jim assured as he stood with her in the entryway of his house, said whelp in his arms. "I've got this! Aaarrrggghh and I are going to be fine. I have food for him and we're going to just hang out and watch TV, and my mom will be home later and I know she's looking forward to meeting him now." Aaarrrggghh cooed, holding onto Jim's sweater. "There's no chance that any Krubera knows where I live, so they can't come here to ask. Heh, I think only Blinky, Draal, and Vendel know. And Aaarrrggghh of course, though not so much now." Aaarrrggghh chirped, making them both laugh. Then Jim looked past Claire out the window of the front door and slightly frowned. "You gonna be okay getting home? It's looking pretty bad out there." Claire took a glance too. Through the window they could see dark clouds and that the wind was blowing hard.

"Certainly looks like a storm," she agreed, then smiled. "It's okay. I know an easy way to get home!" She pulled out her staff. Jim chuckled.

"That'll work!"

"Especially since my parents are out for the day getting ready. They'll never know I was away, and NotEnrique is keeping an eye on things for me just in case." She pulled out her phone and sent a text, replied a minute later. "He says the cost is clear."

"Ok. Have fun tonight." His girlfriend gave him one of those grins that said 'not happening' then opened the portal and stepped through, it closing behind her and leaving Trollhunter and whelp alone. Aaarrrggghh looked up a Jim and chirped inquisitivly, or at least Jim thought it was an inquisitive tone.

"Okay, Aaarrrggghh - whole house to ourselves for a while. Let's have some fun!"

For a little bit Jim gave Aaarrrggghh a tour of the house, letting the Whelp see his room, his mom's room, the living room and the kitchen. The latter two were where the Trollhunter was planning on spending the bulk of their time and as such not only had he made sure both were 'Whelp-proof' but had a pile of blankets on the sofa as well as a stockpile of Troll treats in a box on the kitchen island.

Finally the pair settled in the living room with snacks for them both and Jim putting in a DVD for them to watch. Admittedlly the kiddish, animated movie was a far cry from his usual entertainment, but his preferred action-adventure movies always includes an abundance of explosions, fighting, and death scenes. Not very whelp-friendly. But the brightly-colored characters certainly held Aaarrrggghh's attention as he sat on the blankets, watching happily only turning his head when rain started hitting the front window behind them. Rather hard, Jim noted, but he just smiled at his charge.

"Just a little rain," he assured. "Can't get anywhere near us, don't worry." Aaarrrggghh crooned, satisfied with that and resumed watching...until a loud clap of thunder and flash of lightning had him leaping up with a cry of fear into Jim's lap for safely. Caught off-guard Jim was a bit winded from the impact, arms wrapping around the trembling whelp who was trying to burrow his face against the teen's side. "Whoa, it's okay, Aaarrrggghh. It's only a storm." Aaarrrggghh continued to shake, holding tight to Jim's sweater. "Ah, I bet you've never been in a storm before. Well, at least not now." _Or if he has_, Jim added to himself, _it probably was while he was with Gunmar._ A hand started stroking over the Troll's fur, trying to settle him. "The storm can't get in here. You're safe." Slowly Aaarrrggghh looked up, cringing slightly at another boom. "Yeah, I know it's loud. But it's just what happens sometimes when it rains really hard. I don't really know how to explain what lighting is to you but I can promise you that it won't hurt you." Aaarrrggghh slowly nodded in understanding, but he wouldn't leave Jim's lap, cuddling up to him where he felt safe. Jim let him, remembering faintly how he'd been afraid of storms when he'd been little, and tried to keep Aaarrrggghh's attention on the movie instead. For a good ten minutes things remained calm, Aaarrrggghh content that Jim would protect him and Jim unconcerned with the storm.

Then there was a deafening boom, accompanying a blinding flash that made them both jump and Jim's mind mildly registered must've been close...

And all the lights went out!

Aaarrrggghh shrieked in startled fear, and even Jim yelped in surprise and at the loud pop noise that came from the breaker blowing from the sudden surge. The teen took a few deep breaths, trying to will his heart to settle and smoothing a hand over Aaarrrggghh's fur.

"Its okay, it's okay. The power just went out. It sometimes happens during storms." Aaarrrggghh looked up at him, whimpering slightly, as Jim twisted around to take a look through the living room window. "Yeah, the entire street looks dark." His phone lit up and rang with an incoming call, from Toby he found as he picked it up to look and thankfully not alarming the whelp further.

"Hey Tobes."

_"Power out there too, huh?"_

"Yeah. Scared Aaarrrggghh pretty bad."

_"I'm upstairs, looks like the whole neighborhood is out. You guys gonna be okay?"_

"Yeah, I think so." Jim glanced down and was glad to see Aaarrrggghh relaxing. "What about you and Nana?"

_"She's sleeping right now, so she probably isn't even aware it's raining. I'm staying downstairs with her until she's better - just went up to see the damage - so unless things get really bad well be fine."_

"Okay, good. I'm gonna text my mom to tell her about the outage, so she'll be on the lookout for fallen trees and stuff."

_"Okay. I'll call the power company for an update on things and text you back. Warhammer out."_ Jim chuckled at Toby using his walkie talkie callsign.

"Trollhunter out." He hung up the phone and looked at Aaarrrggghh, racking his brain for what to do. He needed something to distract the whelp, that was for certain. Aaarrrggghh was calm for now but he flinched at every flash and rumble, and in the very dim light from Jim's phone he'd seen the mossy green eyes were wide. Thinking a little light would help, Jim turned on his phone's flashlight feature. "Heh, a little storm can't shut off my phone!" He quickly sent a text to his mom, telling her about the outage, and she replied a moment later.

_We've got power, but I'll be held up; there was a four-car collision incoming to us. _Jim flinched; that sounded bad.

_Okay. Stay dry!_

_You too, and watch for any weather alerts on your phone. Love you, honey._

_Will do, mom! Love you too. _He sighed, tucking the phone into his pocket.

"Well, it'll just be us for a bit, Aaarrrggghh." Jim smiled, hoping his tone of voice sounded as cheerful and casual as he'd intended. "Maybe I still have some of my old toys in my room for you. Wanna go see?" He stood when Aaarrrggghh made a soft sound, whelp in his arms, and they headed upstairs. Sadly, even though Jim found a few toys for Aaarrrggghh it seemed to do little good. Regardless of the game he tried to engage Aaarrrggghh's attention with every deed of the storm he'd flinch or whimper - Jim could only imagine what memories the thunder was bringing up - and even being in Jim's lap wasn't comforting enough as a particularly loud boom sent him diving under the bed for shelter.

_Man, he needs to be back in Trollmarket where he can't hear the storm, but we can't go there! I can't even risk texting Blinky to see if it's clear yet! _Jim shifted his weight slightly, then when he felt the Amulet press into him from his other back picket got a sudden - if a bit crazy - idea.

"Okay, Aaarrrggghh!" he encouraged, peeking under the bed and carefully coaxing the whelp out. "Let's leave the toys for now." He stood and set Aaarrrggghh on his bed, pulling out the Amulet. "Wanna see a magic trick?" Aaarrrggghh tipped his head with a curious expression. Jim grinned, them gripped the Amulet tightly in both hands.

_Okay, I have no idea if you can hear me but I think you can. I have a reality scared whelp with me and if anything you should know what that's like Kanjigar so help me out! _Having to hope in his theory Jim opened his door, grinned at Aaarrrggghh...then threw the Amulet across the hall into his mom's room, quickly closing the door behind him and leaning against it.

"Hah! No more Amulet!" he announced to Aaarrrggghh. The whelp giggled - okay, that was absolutely adorable - then pointed to the middle of the rug where the Amulet peacefully gleamed. Jim couldn't have been happier that it had worked. In his heart he would never think of throwing the Amulet away again, but the magic of it continually reappearing (once so very annoying) when he tried was the best thing he could come up with to distract Aaarrrggghh from the storm. With that in mind the Trollhunter effected a shocked and put out expression.

"Ack! What's it doing there? Well, I know what to do!" Jim scooped it up, then dropped it into his room's waste basket and covered the opening with books as fast as he could. "There!" Aaarrrggghhwas giggling continually now as he saw the Amulet reappear...right above Jim's head, which it landed upon with a thump. "Oof!" Jim grabbed it again and this time shut it in his closet under a pile of spare blankets and clothing. Aaarrrggghh squeaked as it appeared right in front of him, clapping his hands. But it seemed that the past Trollhunters had in deed heard Jim's request and had decided to put in their own twist as when Jim reached for it again the Amulet vanished, only to reappear on his desk. This time the surprise on Jim's face want so faked.

"What? Hey!" He reached for it and again it vanished to his pillow. "Playing keep away now, huh?" Not caring for how he looked doing this, not when Aaarrrggghh was finding it so funny, Jim lunged to pounce on it and got only pillow. "Where'd it go? See it anywhere, Aaarrrggghh?" Now a part of the game Aaarrrggghh jumped up, looking around the room for the Amulet before chirping to get Jim's attention to the glow under his desk. "Ah hah! Good eyes!" Once more the Amulet evaded Jim, only this time for all of their searching neither Trollhunter not whelp could find any trace of it in the bedroom. "Hmm..." Aaarrrggghh looked up at Jim and chirped again, worriedly Jim thought.

"No, I don't think it's actually gone, Aaarrrggghh. Just hiding really well - ah!" Jim grinned, picking the little Krubera up. "I bet I know where it is!" Leaving the room Jim headed into the bathroom where sure enough Amulet had holed itself up in the medicine cabinet. Quite happily Jim thought it took to the air to fly away from them, swerving just over Jim's fingers and out the room, bouncing once in the doorway like saying 'catch me if you can' before zipping away.

"You know what this means, Aaarrrggghh - after that Amulet!"

Jim honestly had no idea how long he and Aaarrrggghh played at that game, chasing the Amulet here and there with it either flying just out of their reach or vanishing and reappearing with a faint rattle from its hiding place or a glow to give them a hint. Finally their game led them back upstairs where the glow came from under the bed. Jim set Aaarrrggghh of the covers and crawled under where he saw the Amulet against the wall under the headboard.

"Okay, Aaarrrggghh, I've got it this time!" Jim declared. He had to recant that a moment later and the Amulet vanished again, and up above him he heard Aaarrrggghh giggling loudly. Backwards crawling out he knelt by the bed and saw that the Amulet had reappeared under one of the whelps's feet. "Oh, so _you've_ got it!" Grinning, Jim scooped up both whelp and Amulet and fell into his bed, setting the Amulet on his desk and Aaarrrggghh on his stomach. Both were panting from their running around, and Jim took a deep breath just to make Aaarrrggghh go up and down on his stomach and get another giggle out of him, closely followed by a huge yawn.

"Heh, tired?" Aaarrrggghh nodded, making Jim laugh softly, and tumbled to the side onto the bed where he curled up. Jim reached back into his pocket for his phone, glancing at the past-midnight time (man, they'd been playing for a while!) then laid his phone beside the Amulet and let his eyes close, drifting to sleep.

Barbara Lake pulled her car into the drive and turned off the ignition with a sigh of relief. It was nearly four thirty in the morning, a good three hours past her expected return home time. But all plans of doctors tended to go awry when the weather got bad. Thankfully the storm had finally died down to a normal rain and with everyone stable she'd been relieved to go home. And, she saw, the power had been restored to their area.

Climbing from the car Barbara stretched her back, then headed towards the door only to pause when she saw the widow above it. There were lights on inside. While she'd thought Jim would've stayed up waiting for her she'd never had thought this late. She unlocked the door and went inside with only a bit of caution.

Really, having found out about her son's second life as it were had made her far more wary of the inordinary.

But everything inside seemed normal. The TV was still on, the main menu of a kid's movie displayed. Blankets, human snacks, and troll snacks were set around the sofa but mostly left undisturbed. Jim's shoes were nearby to the sofa where he'd discarded them. This added to her belief that they were somewhere in the house, as did the lack of a note in the kitchen elaborating otherwise.

Barbara turned off the TV and DVD player, then headed upstairs with a bit of motherly intuition. She found Jim's bedroom door slightly ajar and quietly pushed it wider to look within, and smiled. There was her son, fast asleep. Though she quickly noticed something odd. Though for a little bit their relationship had been strained, Barbara knew her son. Jim always slept in a sprawl, either on his stomach or sometimes on his back, taking up as much room on the bed as possible. But his back was to her and he looked curled slightly. Approaching the bedside she got a closer look and a hand came up to her mouth at the heart-warming sight: Jim was curled protectively around what she had to take as the whelp-turned Aaarrrggghh, one arm over the Troll child and Aaarrrggghh was holding onto said hand, keeping it close.

With a fond smile Barbara tucked the covers up around them, made sure the curtain on the window was firmly shut against the morning sunlight a few hours impending, then smoothed Jim's hair before giving him a kiss on the temple.

"Sleep well, honey."


	9. Chapter 9 Aaarrrggghh: Memories

Outside Trollmarket hustled and bustled, truly a community that rarely if ever slept. Shops traded wares and the tavern served its usual patrons and various Trolls went about their lives.

In the Library, however, all was quiet and dim, no one stirring a bit at first. Then mossy green eyes slowly opened and blinked, confusion in their depths for a few moments as memories were hazy and jumbled. Then clarity surfaced and everything fell into place, and carefully Aaarrrggghh pushed himself up to get a look at himself.

Sure enough the magical effect had worn off. He was his adult self in full once more, body and mind.

The Krubera smiled, sorting through what he could last recall. Ah, yes, now Aaarrrggghh remembered. A quick glance around confirmed his thoughts; he'd been playing a game with everyone, a kind of keep away that involved him trying to catch a small ball Claire, Toby, and Jim were throwing and rolling to one another around him. Over this Blinky had been quizzing Jim on some of his recent studies while Draal simply observed from a nearby seat on the floor. Glancing around Aaarrrggghh could see they too had dozed off where they'd been. The three teens were almost in a pile, Jim and Claire with their arms around one another and Toby with his head pillowed on Jim's back. Draal was behind Aaarrrggghh, and Blinky to his other side. The people, both human and Troll, that meant the most to Aaarrrggghh were right where they belonged; with him.

He settled back on the now far-too-small play blanket with a contented smile. It was a little odd, the memories drifting through his mind. He had his old memories from that age, but at the same time he had the new ones.

Aaarrrggghh remembered his first storm and how all the adult Gumm-Gumms, especially Gunmar, had bellowed at him and mocked him for his fear. Aaarrrggghh remembered Jim playing with him to distract him from the storm, taking his fear of it seriously and helping him cope.

Aaarrrggghh remembered all the times he'd huddled alone, watching the others spar and fight and frightened of their rough war games, even being forced into them with swift punishment if he balked. Aaarrrggghh remembered Draal being far more silly than he'd probably want Aaarrrggghh to ever mention again, playing with him on the floor and giving him sweets for no reason other than he thought it was deserved and not trying to make Aaarrrggghh act in ways he didn't want to.

Aaarrrggghh remembered trying to make friends, and finding out in no uncertain terms that friends were a weakness, that kindness was exploited and fear made you a target. Aaarrrggghh remembered Toby offering all the friendship he could ever want, as kind and accepting of him as he ever had been.

Aaarrrggghh remembered being hurt, sometimes to the point he could barely move, and finding no one cared and when he was tended to it caused almost as much pain as the injury itself. Aaarrrggghh remembered Vendel taking the pain away so easily and willingly, speaking calmly and with respect for Aaarrrggghh's fear of him.

Aaarrrggghh remembered nights huddled on the stone, missing Trolls he felt in his heart - his family - but couldn't remember for all his trying and longing for someone to comfort him. Aaarrrggghh remembered Claire singing to him and soothing his hurt, giving comfort and motherly care.

Aaarrrggghh remembered all the times he'd cried out in fear and nightmares, and all the times the only response he received was a quick fist and a sharp command to be silent, ever silent, no matter what happened, the lesson beaten into him. He remembered being hungry to the point of forgetting what it was like to be full. Aaarrrggghh remembered Blinky comforting him in the night, encouraging him to make noise and assuring him of safety in the act no matter what. He remembered being given such a bounty of food that he'd feared Blinky ment to go without as he'd often been forced to and had felt compelled to ensure that didn't happen to another.

In short, Aaarrrggghh remembered neglect and torment, and also remembered being loved and sheltered. And while he tried to never let the former surface in his thoughts he dearly hoped the latter would never fade.

Pushing himself up slightly again Aaarrrggghh carefully reached out, shifting Blinky up against his side where he'd often slept over the centuries. Even asleep the scholar adjusted to be comfortable in the familiar place. One arm tucked Toby close, and the other gave Draal a gently nudge with the shoulder - the warrior was close enough and subconsciously gripped a handful of green fur in answer - before reaching out to curl around Jim and Claire in a sheltering gesture. Aaarrrggghh laid his head down across Toby's lap onto his hand, smiling and making a mental note to see Vendel to offer a thank you, then let himself return to dreamland.


End file.
